After Southern food, Atlantans just might love Italian cuisine the best. Here are some recommended Italian foods available locally.
Marinara
Mark Pellegrinelli remembers spending hours alongside his paternal great-grandmother, Paulina Sonsini, as she prepared her marinara sauce, as well as growing up cooking alongside his mother. It seemed only natural he would become a chef and part-owner of an Italian restaurant. In 2022, he opened Pelle’s Foods in Peachtree City, offering his Italian sauces for home cooks. He stirs up huge pots of three different sauces in his commercial kitchen: Nana’s marinara (based on his great-grandmother’s recipe), tomato-basil and fra diavolo. We sampled the marinara and were struck by how the parmesan and red wine in the sauce add a layer of richness and complexity. Keep in mind that this isn’t a vegetarian sauce, as it also contains pork and beef base. We look forward to trying the fra diavolo, which gets its spicy kick from Calabrian peppers.
$12 per 32-ounce jar. Available at Alo Farms in Peachtree City, Farm to Fork in Sharpsburg, on Saturdays at the Peachtree City and Senoia farmers markets, or you can order at pellesfoods.com for pickup at the markets.
Credit: Hannah Hayes
Credit: Hannah Hayes
Frozen pizzas and Italian ingredients
You can stock your pantry, refrigerator and freezer with imported Italian ingredients, as well as pizzas from chef Luca Varuni and Varuni Napoli, thanks to a new service, Varuni Casa. Double zero flour, fresh mozzarella, carnaroli rice, fresh ricotta and so much more are available for delivery or pickup at the Varuni Napoli Midtown location. The list of items available also includes frozen versions of three of the company’s best-selling pizzas: the classic Margherita; the oro bianco, with pancetta and black truffle oil; and the Bastardo, with pepperoni cups and ’nduja. Our favorite was the oro bianco. Freeze the pizzas for up to a month, store them in your refrigerator for no more than 48 hours, or do as we did and bake as soon as you get your frozen pizza home. It’s as simple as heating your oven to 450 degrees and baking the pizza on a pizza stone or baking sheet for up to 6 minutes. You just want to get the pizza hot and the crust crisp. Serve it with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil.
$20-$23 per 12-inch frozen pizza, $38 to $44 for two pizzas. Order at direct.chownow.com/order/16000/locations/55713 for delivery, or for pickup at 1540 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta.
Credit: Mig Moss and Ed Osorio
Credit: Mig Moss and Ed Osorio
Pasta
The Jimenez family opened an Italian mini-market last July in Alpharetta’s Halcyon development. The shelves are filled with Italian ingredients that are hard to find stateside. There are olive oils to sample; sweets of all sorts; wine; antipasti ingredients, including anchovies, olives and marinated vegetables; and a wide range of dried pastas. Step up to the counter at the back of the shop and order from almost a dozen varieties of panini (we tried the Siciliano) and the two prepared pastas of the day (we enjoyed the penne with arrabiata sauce). The kitchen also prepares carpaccios of salmon and mushrooms, salads and salumi boards. Pastries include cannoli, tiramisu and tartufos, ranging from hazelnut to limoncello. This store is like a tiny outpost of Italy.
$15.65-$20 per panini, $13.50 per prepared pasta, $4.15-$11.50 per bag of dried pasta. Available at Il Bottegone, 6365 Halcyon Way, Alpharetta. For information and to order: ilbottegonehalcyon.com
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