Marketplace: The Copper Pot Food Company’s Stefano Frigerio

This past weekend, I took my first trip to the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market.  There, I met up with my friend Maude from graduate school, who was assisting Stefano Frigerio of the Copper Pot Food Company.  Stefano was kind enough to give me advice about what to buy at the market to prepare dinner for some special guests, and his own pasta was a huge hit! (I prepared the cavatelli in a macaroni and cheese dish, and the tortelini with truffle and cheese fondue for dinner the next day.)

According to the mission statement, “The Copper Pot Food Company is dedicated to the production of creative, chef-crafted products with unparalleled flavors and quality. Our products are crafted from locally sourced fruits and vegetables, which are respectfully cultivated and raised by small farmers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Our unique assortment of jams, savory sauces and vinegars are prepared in small seasonal batches that allow diners to experience farm fresh flavor and quality throughout the year.”

Stefano sells mostly sauces, pastas and jams, but the website says that oils and vinegars are coming soon.  My short time spent with Stefano reminded me of the importance of getting to know a network of food producers.  He recounted a story:

“Shortly after I started selling pasta at farmer’s markets, I wanted to to experiment with ingredients – I wanted to make a pheasant tortellini, but I had trouble finding pheasant.  No one had it. As I got to know the other merchants, I shared with them that I was looking for pheasant.  After I few weeks, someone said ‘I know someone that can get you pheasant.’  It’s worked like that with these farmer’s market networks.”

Stefano also provided advice on how to prepare the mac and cheese, and where to get the best strawberries – showing that the farmer’s market experience is not just about the food you purchase, but the market intelligence you can get by chatting with the vendors!

Stefano has been going to the markets since 2008, and he said that his customer base has been growing ever since.  The nice part, this native Italian said, is that customers are willing to try out whatever combinations he has in mind – no matter how foriegn they may be to the American palate.  He’s created tortellini with items such as hare, or pheasant (as mentioned earlier), and they are purchased as readily as old standbys.

I will definitely be back to sample other items.

Tags: farmers markets, food, gourmet, interview
Posted in Interviews, Market Place