ITALY FROM AMERICA

Discover Italian cuisine in the United States with Rovagnati. Known for its attention to authenticity and taste, the Italian charcuterie is one of Made in Italy’s flagship brands. Now the company has partnered with a stateside venue that exemplifies Italian culinary tradition on American soil. Rovagnati will guide epicurious visitors on a journey of discovery that satisfies not only the appetite, but also the heart and soul. Because food is never just about sustenance, but also encompasses a full-range of culture, emotions and experience.

MURRAY’S CHEESE

A special place for Italy in the American house of delights from around the world

We know a house is made up of rooms. It can have few and small rooms or many and large. Size or number doesn’t matter if each room is filled with warmth and a deep connection to family. That is how a house gains a soul and becomes a living thing that can tell stories. The same happens in places that gather people with common sensibility, creating an opportunity for sharing and growth. Murray’s Cheese Shop is undoubtedly this special type of place. Murrays is a true American icon in the epicurian gourmet scene. It was 1940 when Mr. Murray Greenberg, opened his business, in New York City’s Greenwich Village, as a dairy products and eggs wholesaler. Today, the store specializes in the distribution of all sorts of artisanal specialty foods, which are sold in 350 locations throughout the United States. Rovagnati joined Murray’s Cheese to sell one of its flagship products. The Gran Biscotto Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham) and renowned Mortadella are two prestigious products that flank the unique cheeses from almost every corner of the world. «Murray’s Cheese is proud to be a Greenwich Village tradition and part of the neighborhood’s rich food history, along with neighboring destinations such as Faicco’s, Ottomanelli and Rocco’s.» explains Murray’s Cheese Senior Merchandising Manager, Wilson Mazariegos. In the 70s, Murray, a Jewish veteran of the Spanish Civil War, sold the shop to his clerk Louis Tudda, an Calabrian Italian immigrant, who ran the business until the 1990s. «Rob Kaufelt bought Murray’s in 1991 and began traveling the globe, finding new and undiscovered cheeses and bringing them back to the U.S. Our team still travels regularly

in Europe and across the U.S. in search of new and great artisan cheeses – from California to Vermont, Athens to Wales – and everywhere in between.» The evolution of Murray’s reached its peak in 2007, climbing to the top in food excellence and quality but unable to a widen its reach. Thanks to a partnership with the Kroger Company, one of the largest chains in the United States, Murray’s specialty cheese program made it into several Kroger supermarkets. After 2010, the brand expanded to include a wine bar and restaurant. Murray’s Cheese Bar, opened in 2012. «In our 75+ year history,» says Mazariegos «Murray’s has evolved into a world-renowned specialty food destination that offers the finest selection of cheese, meat and grocery items. We opened a second location in Grand Central Terminal in 2002. Our businesses also includes a wholesale team that sells to 600+ restaurants and hotels, an e-commerce business, year-round educational programs, our full-service restaurant Murray’s Cheese Bar, catering, The Leroy Room, an event space beneath our Bleecker Street store (where our original cheese caves used to be) and state-of-the-art cheese aging caves in Long Island City, New York.» This expansion has not in the least diminished the quality standards required by the brand. Stepping through the store threshold means throwing yourself headlong into an adventure of discovery. At Murray’s Cheese there’s much more at play than just grocery shopping. For Mazariegos, «our overall audience is interested in knowing more about the food their eating. They want to know it’s coming from a reputable source. They want to know about the producers. They want to know that their getting quality cheese/meats/etc. to feed themselves and their family. Murray’s mission today is clearer than ever: Our goal is to find the most delicious cheese and food specialties from around the world, teach our customers something about each of them and then make sure they enjoy them.»

This vision unites Murray’s Cheese to the Rovagnati brand and foretells that it will become an increasingly familiar food shared at American tables. «We’re conscious of the brands we work with and carry in our stores» Says Mazariegos «because our biggest concern is always quality, giving the best possible product and taste to our customers. All of that being said, Rovagnati is a family business that focuses on putting out quality product, and we value that, too. We love to sell and partner with brands who have similar values to ours, it makes for a very seamless partnership.» In short, in Murray’s Cheese shops, Italian food specialties are welcomed and presented to the American public in the most suitable place to “make friends”.

MURRAY’S CHEESE

Greenwich Village Location 264 Bleecker Street. New York, NY, 10014

OBICÀ

In essence, full flavor More than just a simple restaurant, Obicà is a project for good food, great hospitality and Italian culture. The finely tuned design and carefully researched flavors are part of a concept that enhances the Made in Italy brand. The concept is to create an Italian restaurant that places the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP as the star ingredient. Obicà has strong Italian origins, but an international ambition. First opened in Italy in 2004, it has made its way through Europe, Japan and the United States. It is precisely in the US, that Obicà and Rovagnati rediscover their common views about the Italian farming traditions.

Over time Obicà has added value and innovation to Its concept, without losing anything except for the K in its name, replaced by a C which was a way to underscore the Italian origin, pride and guarantee of good food. Raimondo Boggia, CEO of Obica USA explains the restaurant groups concept in this way: «Obicà uses top quality organic ingredients which are produced with simple processes for moderate prices. We are acknowledged by our patrons for the exceptionality of our ingredients, at an affordable price.» At the Obicà restaurants the conversation is not about the chef’s cooking but about the ingredients, about classic and regional cooking yet no stranger to the present day, contemporary palate. The focus is all on the ingredients: fresh, locally sourced organic ingredients combined with a carefully selected array of imported Italian artisanal specialties. «Obicà added freshness and lightness to traditional Italian cuisine. Our customers are increasingly attentive to taste integrity, but also to a healthy diet. To be more in step with our customers’ sensitivities, is perhaps why we subtracted more than added to our dishes» explains Boggia «The Focaccine and the pizza are made with stone-ground flour and naturally leavened for more than 48 hours. The Buffala mozzarella is the freshest possible, even in Los Angeles and Tokyo it is imported directly from Italy two/ three times a week. The Eggplant Parmigiana is roasted in the oven rather than fried, so that devotees can eat it every day for lunch if they so choose. These are just some examples of our attention to quality, freshness and lightness». When all this is combined with the pleasure of sharing and spending time in a welcoming space, it goes without saying that the culinary concept is complete and successful. In 2017, remaining true to the plan centering around the Mozzarella di

Bufala Campana DOP, Obicà developed the concept of Food to Share, a selection of dishes and small plates to be shared with friends’ and relatives. In this context of conviviality Rovagnati is on its home turf. «As an appetizer to share, the Gran Biscotto Rovagnati Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham) is exceptional and is served on the charcuterie plate, but it is also an important ingredient for ham and artichoke pizza and contributes to many simple recipes like pasta dishes. Simple but not less flavorsome. »

All this in a space with dynamic and welcoming design that is always recognizable, while still tailored to the city that welcomes it.

On the tables of Obicà Gran Biscotto Prosciutto Cotto finds its rightful standing. «For us the cooked ham most represents the quality of the stock» concludes Raimondo Boggia «Animals raised with proper care and nutrition so as to achieve the best flavor and organoleptic properties. Obviously, our other products such as porchetta, mortadella and salame also support these high-quality values». These same values transform Obicà tables into showcases.

OBICÀ MOZZARELLA BAR

928 Broadway, New York, NY 10010 590 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022