Sonoma Gourmet – The best of Italy in a jar

Creamy sauces, fresh oregano, tangy tomatoes, lots and lots of noodles…think about why you love Italian food. Is it the fresh ripe tomato taste in a jar of marinara sauce? Or creamy cheesy Alfredo sauce with butter, cream and lots of Parmesan cheese? It could be the garlic and herb flavors in infused olive oil that you drizzle over crusty Italian bread. Maybe you love Italian food for all of that and more!

As an Italian food lover you will be excited to discover the fabulous fresh flavors in Sonoma Gourmet’s organic pasta and pizza sauces and infused olive oils. As you might have guessed, Sonoma Gourmet is located in Sonoma County, California.

According to their website, all of their ingredients come from within 200 miles of that region. The company was created by two chefs, Bill Weber and Roger Declercq who were working in a ski resort near Lake Tahoe. They dreamed of producing restaurant quality sauces and condiments for retail consumers and wanted to highlight the fresh ingredients available in the California Wine Country. In 1990 they realized their dream with the opening of Sonoma Gourmet.

Do you know why we think a lot of packaged marinara sauce tastes so good? Just pick up most any jar of marinara sauce in the grocery store and you will discover that one of the main ingredients is sugar. But, doesn’t all that sugar take away from the goodness that is supposed to be in the jar?

Sugar is not one of Sonoma Gourmet’s main ingredients. Sonoma Gourmet will have none of that. The ingredients in their sauces and oils are clearly listed on the jar and you will find those lists along with nutrition information on their website as you are shopping. As their website explains, their sauces are handcrafted using fresh, organic ingredients. Sonoma Gourmet cooks their sauces in small batches and then adds their secret ingredient – lots of love!

Recently the folks at Sonoma Gourmet hosted a tasting event and cooking demo featuring Chef Casey Thompson, who previously competed in Bravo TV’s Top Chef and is currently the Executive Chef of FolkTable, a popular Sonoma, CA restaurant. She cooked up her specialty recipe, French Bread Croque Madame for a Crowd with Sonoma Gourmet’s Creamy Alfredo Sauce. Chef Casey layered loaves of crusty French Bread with French Deli Ham, Comte cheese, cracked farm fresh eggs onto the open-faced sandwich and topped with creamy Sonoma Gourmet Alfredo Sauce and fresh arugula. Then she drizzled the entire sandwich with Sonoma Gourmet roasted chiles olive oil! This sandwich is visually stunning – perfect for serving a crowd at your next summer soirée.

Watching Chef Casey create her special sandwich encouraged us to think of so many delicious dishes we can create with Sonoma Gourmet. They have lots of yummy recipes on their website. How about a Burrata, Sage and Sausage Pizza made with Sonoma Gourmet pizza sauce and basil Parmesan olive oil? Cauliflower Alfredo Gnocchi with Asparagus and Proscuitto? Butternut Rissoto made with Sonoma Gourmet butternut squash sauce? Now that your mouth is watering, what are you waiting for? Let’s cook up some really good Italian food!

Ready to open up  a jar of Sonoma Gourmet and enjoy some authentic Italian food without having to travel to Italy?