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Santa Paula’s Red Hot Foods is going full blast with Ilvento’s Proprio Italiano sauces manufactured, bottled, packaged and shipped from the Railroad Avenue facility. Going full speed following a recent “Deals and Steals” segment of Good Morning America that offered all four varieties of the sauces were (left to right) Mirim Carrasco, Emma Gomez, Ilvento’s Proprio Italiano owner Dr. Joseph “Joe” Ilvento and Red Hot Foods owners Burma Baselice and Butch Baselice. |
Sauce sensation: Ilvento’s Proprio
Italiano prepared at Red Hot Foods
November 18, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Italy is legendary for its art, music and food and the latter is getting an American boost with “Old Country” recipes prepared lovingly in Santa Paula.
And business for Ilvento’s Proprio Italiano is especially hot after a four-pack of sauces caused a mail order sensation on a national television show and being featured as a best holiday pick by the Big O herself, Oprah Winfrey.
The big pot, 75 gallons, was bubbling a rich red sending an aroma of enticing and somewhat exotic spices into the air at Red Hot Foods on Railroad Avenue where on a recent day Joe Ilvento was helping to package the sauces his family had been enjoying for more than 80 years.
It all started in 1933 on the heels of the repeal of Prohibition when Joe Ilvento, an immigrant from Grassano, Italy, opened his namesake restaurant in Jersey City. His son, Pete, proved to be a genius in making tomato sauces ensuring success for the restaurant and very happy family members at home.
The fact that Pete was aging and wanting to continue the family’s tradition of fine sauces propelled his son Joe, a resident of Carpinteria, to start the business with his daughter Juliana Fitzpatrick just over two years ago.
When living in Montecito Joe and his family lived next door to Oprah, and better than stopping by to borrow a cup of Ilvento’s sauce, she was a guest enjoying family dinners made with what became the company’s trademark products.
In addition to a special Ilvento’s gift pack being selected for the 2015 “Oprah’s Favorite Things” list in O Magazine’s holiday issue a four-pack of sauces was featured in the November 5 “Deals and Steals” segment of Good Morning America.
That same morning Joe and Burma and Butch Baselice, owners of Red Hot Foods, as well as a crew found themselves racing to package the sauces that had already sold through GMC, a mind-boggling 2,700 four-packs ordered in two hours.
Each jar has the vintage logo that graced the Ilvento’s Restaurant menu since 1933.
Joe said it was drawn by his father’s high school friend, Jerry DeFuccio, who went on to become associate editor of Mad Magazine.
“We decided to keep the label,” black and white with the family name and a suited chef kissing his fingertips in the familiar gesture meaning “squisito” — delicious to pay homage to the restaurant and convey the product remains true to its origins.
Joe and Juliana started the business in Goleta at Crookston’s Goodland Kitchen and Market; when the business started to grow they were encouraged to get in touch with the Baselices at their well-equipped Hot Foods.
“We’re making it the same way my father did,” said Joe of the sauces, including the “Dal Pietro,” which means in Italian, “According to Pete” which is almost Moroccan in flavor.
Joe said the blend is unique to Southern Italy, where his ancestors are from, an area with a North African influence by trade and known for its attraction to marauding Barbary pirates.
“Sicily,” said Joe of Italy’s largest island “was invaded by everyone!”
As Joe and Butch worked they found they had much in common: “Every Sunday my mother made pasta with wonderful sauce, she cooked it all day. And it’s hard to say but I told Joe when I tasted his, your sauce is better than Mom’s!”
Patience is everything: “We spend a lot of time cooking,” said Joe, hours spent on preparing the tomatoes so they won’t require sugar, that the blend of spices will marry and produce an offspring of perfect balance, suitable right out of the jar or to use in the dozens of recipes Ilvento’s shares online.
“When they were doing the test batch,” said Burma, “they had four pots going…and Joe could tell what they needed at any given time. He and Butch work so well together,” a relationship that was Burma said was solidified when the two men discovered they both attended Holly Cross High School in New Jersey and were altar boys at the same church.
Ilvento offers three other sauces: Sugo Marinara is a classic mild and sweet sauce with a wonderful balance of garlic and basil that Joe said, “Kids’ love! Lots of parents say it’s the only sauce they’ll eat.”
The spicy Arrabbiata — “Which means ‘angry’ ” is great with seafood, sausages, or pasta. “Flash some shrimp in a pan,” said Joe to start a great meal with the Arrabbiata.
Mushroom Boscaiolo features sliced whole mushrooms, and is slightly spicy good for a variety of uses.
All the sauces “By definition are vegan, Glutton free and kosher,” said Joe, a cardiologist.
All ingredients said Butch, are fresh including the spices that are ground at Red Hot Foods. And noted Burma, the tomatoes are from California when a blind taste test proved them equal if not better than Italian imports.
No wonder, she added, “Ninety-four percent of tomato sales are from California.”
Ilvento’s is sold in select retailers and on Amazon among other sources.
The boost from Oprah in O Magazine said Joe is an honor as “She’s discovered many great food products from small companies and I’m thrilled she likes our sauces.”
“Oprah is not only a media icon,” said Juliana, “but also an inspiration to young businesswomen.”
Joe said that similar to cooking the sauces, no one is in a hurry to expand the company.
“We’re taking it nice and slow…Dad died in April and we’re glad he was able to see the company sell his sauces,” a tribute to him and his heritage.
“You know how you cook dinner for your kids and wait to see if they like it? We’re waiting…we have time and we’re having a blast.”
And sticking to his father’s recipes as well as cooking methods: “My father would kill me,” said Joe, if he deviated from family cooking tradition. “He would reach down from Heaven and choke me!”
For more information visit the Ilvento website www.ilventos.com
