La Piccola Rosa Culinary Classics

Discover new and delicious taste sensations, imported from Italy's stunning and diverse regions, delivered straight to your table. Whip up a dinner your family will love, just like an Italian nonna, courtesy of La Piccola Rosa!

Who doesn't enjoy treating oneself to a great meal out? One of the benefits of living in a city like New York is the incredible variety of different cuisines and restaurants to choose from. Whether it's date night, brunch, or simply getting together with friends and family after work, just about any reason on earth is the perfect excuse to explore the Big Apple's culinary scene. However, that having been said, one cannot eat out every night, much as we might want to. After all, going out and about for dinner at a trendy restaurant CAN get VERY expensive. We all have a budget and there are little things like rent that need to be paid. And besides, nowadays, with the advent of hit TV shows like The Food Network's OUTCHEF'D with Eddie Jackson and Gordon Ramsay's MASTER CHEF, which celebrates America's home cooks, more and more foodies are intrigued to bring out THEIR inner chef. Instead of just watching chefs like Rocco DiSpirito and Guy Fieri strut their stuff on the TV screen, these ambitious foodies want to see what they can do in the kitchen.

 Yes, it's time to put a little razzle-dazzle into your culinary life, instead of being content to warm up yesterday's leftovers in the microwave. That's SO lame.  If you really want to make date night an evening to remember, treat your significant other to a home-cooked meal. All you need to do is bring some passion to the table, a glass of wine and a tantalizing dish made from scratch with pasta, olive oil, seasonings and sauce from the folks at LA PICCOLA ROSA CULINARY CLASSICS. When your meal is finished and everyone at the table is patting their tummy and grinning from ear to ear, be prepared to take a bow as you transform into a Master Chef, at least for one night.  The secret to any meal's success is in the ingredients. And that's where La Piccola Rosa Culinary Classics comes in.  This fresh and vibrant brand offers a full menu of carefully curated artisanal semolina and gluten-free pasta, extra virgin olive oil, a wide variety of sauces, seasoning packets, risotto, aged balsamic vinegars, coffee beans and grinds, as well as cookware. Every one of their imported products is designed to help you elevate your cooking game.

The brand's founders are two dynamic young entrepreneurs, Orlando and Francesco, who have been best friends since childhood. In fact, Orlando's mother has often said that they are more like brothers. Growing up in a Greek-Italian and Italian household, respectively, Orlando and Francesco saw firsthand how food brings people together.  A good meal is best enjoyed when surrounded by people who are close to your heart, both blood family and extended family of friends, neighbours and co-workers. And that is the feeling they want to evoke with La Piccola Rosa Culinary Classics. Cooking doesn't have to be a chore, not when you have the best products that Italy has to offer right there in your kitchen pantry!  Good food is always about making memories that will last a lifetime. With a little help from your culinary angels at La Piccola Rosa, you will shine in the kitchen like never before.

Aplez.com recently had the pleasure of speaking with the brand's co-founder, Orlando, at Under Pressure Coffee in Ditmars, Astoria. Which is appropriate since the young entrepreneur was born and raised in the area.  Orlando's father emigrated from a town near Rome to NYC back in the 70s, worked hard at a variety of jobs and eventually started a company where he introduced

New Yorkers are exposed to different Italian goods.  Orlando's mom is a first-generation Greek-American, whose father was a sea captain, a dock-worker and a proud veteran. His grandmother was a fashion designer who worked with the legendary actress-comedian Lucille Ball for a time. So, you can easily see where Orlando gets his work ethic and creativity from! 

We asked Orlando how long the brand has been in existence and what the story is behind the beautiful name of the company.  " We are very new with the brand, having officially been launched in January of 2025," explained Orlando. "  As new as the venture may be, the name La Piccola Rosa has been in my mind for a while, now. My family has a special connection to roses. My mom's name is Roseann, we have a gorgeous rose bush in front of our house in Astoria and my father's company is called La Rosa Azzurra ( The Blue Rose ). Family is a big part of my life and I wanted to continue that trend. Even though La Piccola Rosa is its own entity, I still want to pay homage to something that was a big part of my upbringing. "

Francesco's family came to the Big Apple in 1991 and planted roots here. While growing up, Francesco never ate at Italian restaurants because, as his mom and dad told him, " Why eat out when we can make the same dishes at home. "  Every Summer, though, the family would spend some time back in Sicily visiting their cousins. Francesco gained a new appreciation for food in the Sicilian countryside, watching how his family transformed fish, produce and meats from the local farms and markets into delicious meals. This centuries-old philosophy, that a meal is only as good as the ingredients you use to make it, is something that Francesco has carried over to La Piccola Rosa Culinary Classics.

The brand's mission statement is " Dedication. Education. Distribution." Those are three simple yet powerful words. We asked Orlando to expound on them.  " Dedication to us means that there is a never-ending passion to make sure that as many people as possible try our products. It's all about a dedication to share things we love and consume them ourselves. To Francesco and I, education means that it's important to learn about the process involved in creating the products that we import and the effort that goes into making a product of such high quality. Distribution simply means that everyone should be able to have access to our products if they so desire. It is important to our team to offer products at affordable price points."

Orlando and Francesco put a great deal of thought into choosing just which artisanal, family-owned companies in Italy make the cut at La Piccola Rosa. Before adding a product to their brand, the dynamic duo carefully researches the company and tastes the sauce, pasta, olive oil, whatever it may be. They would never import a product and sell it on their website that they wouldn't give to their own families. No room for compromise there!  One of the things that they enjoy most is shining a light on some of the smaller, lesser-known companies in Italy and introducing their products to American foodies.

What makes La Piccola Rosa's artisanal products so very special and unique? We're glad you asked!  Tradition, culture and natural resources have a lot to do with it. Take La Fabbrica artisanal pasta, for instance. Orlando and Francesco fell in love with this high-quality pasta from the moment that they tasted it.  Made in Gragnano, which is in the Campania region, this pasta stands out due to its superior ingredients and production process, which has been handed down over several generations.  While the pasta is made with durum wheat, as is most other pasta, the wheat's exceptional quality comes from being grown near Monte Lattari, where the area's unique climate, wind, humidity and sun enhance its growth.  Pride in believing in the process is key. When you purchase  La Fabbrica products, your palate won't get bored. La Piccola Rosa imports an exciting array of pastas including rigatoni, spaghetti, fusilli, shea shells,tricolore veggie rotini and porcini mushroom fettuccine.

When it comes to a plate of steaming pasta, the right sauce makes all the difference, whether you're craving a rustic tomato " gravy " or an elevated experience with a touch of extra virgin olive oil, garlic and a dusting of Parmesan cheese. La Piccola Rosa brings you an array of authentic and bold Campo D'Oro sauces that are crafted with local Sicilian ingredients utilizing time-honored recipes. Being made in Sicily matters because of the island's volcanic soil, superb Mediterranean climate and abundant sunshine. This melange produces tomatoes, olives and herbs that are intensely flavorful. You will absolutely love the fact that Campo D'Oro sauces emphasise the slow-cooking method and use NO artificial preservatives. The brand's proximity to farms means that ingredients can be processed shortly after harvest, thus preserving their natural taste and nutritional value. If you're a bit bored with the same old sauces that you've been buying forever at your local supermarket, then explore the products that Campo D'Oro crafts such as arrabbiata sauce, pesto Siciliano, caponata melanzane, pesto pepperoni that is way zesty and a green olive sauce that will have you smothering your bowl of pasta with it.

Did you know that not all olive oils are created equal? Yes, there IS a difference and it is well worth your time to look at the options that are out there. Orlando and Francesco have formed a deep relationship with the artisans at Eleusi Extra Virgin Olive Oil and with good reason. The region of Calabria boasts an olive oil tradition that is so deep-rooted it goes back thousands of years. These folks really know what they are doing. The word meticulous doesn't even begin to describe the care that Eleusi takes in bringing you a superior product. First of all, the oil is made with carefully selected, hand-picked olives that have a rich, fruity flavor. The olives are then cold-pressed after picking to preserve their nutrients and antioxidants. A huge bonus, taste-wise, is that the acidity level is very low. With a mild climate, hilly terrain and rich soil, there is no better place on earth ( except possibly Greece) to cultivate olives.

What's a salad without vinegar? Well, all those greens and other good things are still healthy, but adding a splash of balsamic vinegar certainly brightens up the flavor. This is especially true if you're using Ponte Vecchio Balsamic Vinegar, which is imported from the Modena region of Italy. Crafted using traditional techniques,  Ponte Vecchio's vinegar is made with cooked grapes that are carefully aged in wooden barrels, allowing it to develop complex notes of sweetness, richness and some acidity. What sets this balsamic vinegar apart from its competitors is the time-intensive process involved and Modena's rather unique microclimate, which sees the region have hot Summers and cold, damp, misty Winter seasons. Here's an interesting tidbit: Modena is also an officially protected heritage region for producing Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, meaning that only vinegars made there under very strict regulations can carry that designation. 

Right about now, you are probably asking yourself, "Where can I get these amazing pastas, sauces, balsamic vinegars and EVOO ?" Well, you are in luck. Ordering is easy-peasy. All you need to do is go on the very informative and entertaining  La Piccola Rosa website, enter their online shop, browse to your heart's content and start ordering the ingredients that will add the WOW! factor into your home-made meals. Orlando and Francesco have very kindly added a special offer for Aplez.com's readers whereby you can receive a nifty 10% discount on your purchase using the code APLEZ at checkout.  By the way, when you click on the homepage, the short video that you see at the top of the page is a drone shot of the exact house that Orlando's father grew up in, in the town of Latina, outside Rome. Now, that's family! While you're on their website, be sure to check out the packaged risottos, seasonings, O'Caffe, which is an ode to the Neapolitan tradition of making coffee, as well as ZAK, a ceramics and cookware company that specializes in bright colours and playful designs.

As we were finishing up our coffees at Under Pressure, this reporter asked Orlando where he saw the brand going in, say, five years?  " We like to think that we will be in a position to open up a La Piccola Rosa brick-and-mortar store. Francesco and I enjoy doing business with our customers on the internet. It is a powerful tool. But owning your very own " real-life " shop will be our " we made it ! " moment. Francesco and I want something that we can pass down to our children one day. Hey, I grew up patronizing shops like D & F DELI and ROSARIOS in Ditmars. These Italian specialty shops become part of the surrounding community. We, here at La Piccola Rosa, want to be part of that. "

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