For David Rocco, living la dolce vita— both on and off camera — is always the goal. It’s no wonder, then, that when COVID-19 nixed Rocco’s usual travel itinerary, the celebrated Italian-Canadian chef got to work bringing a little bit of Italia, home. Launched last month, Rocco’s new line of traditional, Italian-made pasta and sauces can transform any kitchen into a corner trattoria, and is now available in most major grocery stores across Canada and the U.S.
The star of David Rocco’s Dolce Vita (as well as its multiple spin-offs), chef Rocco brings his passion for food and travel to each of his many projects. Beyond starring in several TV shows, Rocco has also written three cookbooks, has a line of wines, and is the owner of a popular, Yorkville-based wine bar named David Rocco Bar Aperitivo. Yet, as COVID-19 taught us early on, nobody was immune to the lockdowns, closures, and drastic impacts on our daily lives the virus caused. “I missed the ability to travel internationally when the world stopped in the midst of the pandemic,” says Rocco in a press release. “I craved the authentic Italian flavours that you can only really experience from being there.”
For chef Rocco, time at home translated into time spent with family, and time spent cultivating ideas into fresh projects. Inspired to be in the kitchen, creating delicious meals, and by the amount of takeout being consumed around the globe, Rocco decided to turn his passion for Italian food into a new line of restaurant-quality pasta and sauces. “My family encouraged me to find a way to create that unmistakable Italian taste and experience it in our very own kitchens with the ease and quality of a restaurant meal, but at a fraction of the cost,” he adds. A simple way to bring an authentic taste of Italy into kitchens, everything in the new line was designed to cook quickly and to be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
Consisting of pasta from the Puglia region, the new line includes Orecchiette, Strozzapreti, and Fusilli Pugliesi. The four sauces are Pomodoro & Basilico, Arrabbiata, Puttanesca and Ricotta & Pecorino. Produced in Italy from premium ingredients, each item is meant to transport diners directly to the bel paese. “The goal of producing this line was to create the same experience as when you travel to Italy and have your first meal at a trattoria and you ask, ‘Wow, why can’t we have this back home?’ Well, now you can with my authentic Italian-made pasta and sauces,” explains Rocco.
David Rocco Italian pasta and sauce is now available at select retailers, including Loblaws, Metro, Fortinos, Longo’s, and many local independent supermarkets. The line will also be coming to Amazon Canada and Amazon U.S. in early 2023.
