Close
Photo:
Christine Fiorentino / Allrecipes
If you’ve ever been to a New Jersey wedding, you know that it’s all about going big and bold, creating a memorable night for everyone— especially when it comes to the food. Everyone comes to a Jersey wedding hungry and eager to see, taste, and (if we’re being totally honest) judge what’s on the menu that day.
And for many New Jersey weddings, red sauce is a star attraction. That was certainly the case at my own wedding at Nanina’s In The Park, tucked inside a historic, garden-perfect park in Belleville. A Tuscan-inspired venue, Nanina’s is beloved for its beautiful grounds, exceptional service and staff, and delicious catering menu–especially sauces.
But that deliciousness is available even when someone isn’t getting married. Nanina’s sells four of its famed sauces–Marinara, Vodka, Tomato and Basil, and Fra Diavolo–in grocery stores like ShopRite and Kings, in addition to local delis and specialty markets throughout New Jersey. I had to catch up with my favorite local venue and its longtime executive chef to find out how what was once a wedding best-kept secret has become a New Jersey classic.
The Story Behind Nanina’s In The Park Gourmet Pasta Sauces
It all begins with executive chef Vincenzo Loreti, 83, who has been with Nanina’s for over 50 years. Growing up in the Campania region of Italy, Loreti learned to cook from his grandfather, who taught him to understand flavors and recipes based on intuition and to be resourceful.
Christine Fiorentino/Allrecipes
In the early 1960s, Loreti came to the United States, longing to attend college but needing to earn money to support his family. So, at 18, he found work as a chef in a restaurant frequented by Nanina, a woman who came from the same village as he had in Italy. Nanina adored his food, slipped him $50 and her phone number one day, and ultimately poached him to come to work for her instead.
Loreti remembers Nanina as a strong, respectful, and appreciative woman who valued his hard work and believed in his talent. He began working at her original business, a fish store in Newark. As the operation grew into a restaurant and venue space, Loreti, with his culinary background and Nanina’s belief in him, continued to grow and learn and eventually became executive chef. This is when he began creating classic sauces, he says, ultimately shaping and creating the restaurant’s menu as we still see it come to life today.
From Wedding Tables to Supermarket Shelves
“You should sell this sauce!” After Nanina had passed away and brothers Joe and Barry Maurillo and partner Vito Cucci took over the restaurant in 2001, it was all they heard from happy customers. But it wasn’t until 2005 that general manager John Buzza (who also worked as a business professor at nearby Monmouth University) came to the trio with a brilliant idea. What if he assigned his entrepreneurship students the world’s best project: to develop an entire marketing strategy and production plan for jarring some of Loreti’s most popular pasta sauces and selling them in stores?
Nanina's/Allrecipes
Why not? The students went to work, and by late 2005, the banquet hall hosted a celebratory launch party for Nanina’s In The Park Gourmet Sauces (one student even became an employee at Nanina's In The Park after graduating).
The Secret Is in the Sauce
New Jersey red sauce experts have certainly approved. By 2007, Nanina’s beat out national brands from Ragu to Rao’s in a supermarket taste test conducted by the Italian Tribune. In 2014, Nanina’s Marinara Sauce dazzled a panel of three Italian-American chefs assembled by NJ.com, who named it the runaway best jarred marinara in the state among 10 local competitors (a stiffer field than the nationals).
Christine Fiorentino/Allrecipes
Sergio Cucci, director of sales at Nanina’s, attributes the power of the sauces to ”minimal ingredients” of premium quality. The team, he says, uses imported San Marzano plum tomatoes from Italy, whereas many other jarred brands use domestic tomatoes or tomatoes from concentrate, which often calls for the addition of water, sugar, and salt to enhance flavor. Nanina’s In The Park sauces contain no added sugar because the juicy flesh and seeds of imported San Marzano tomatoes have a natural sweetness and less acidity than other varieties. “We want to feature the flavor of the best tomatoes. That’s what makes our sauce,” Cucci says.
As someone who grew up with homemade sauce each Sunday, Cucci believes “sauce shouldn’t contain ingredients you can’t pronounce. We make it just the way you would make a good, classic homemade sauce.” The team cares about accessibility, too. “You can buy a pound or two of pasta and a jar of our sauce, and still feed a family of four for under $10,” Cucci says.
One Immigrant’s Legacy: More Than Just a Jarred Sauce
Loreti, who says he still loves coming to work each day, keeps a hands-on role in the business as executive chef, including visiting the manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. “I just want to be sure that what is being jarred remains authentic and true, down to each and every ingredient,” he says.
For Loreti, every jar of Nanina’s is a testament to his legacy: a journey of humble beginnings, hard work, and the genuine joy, love, and passion he expresses through cooking and feeding others. When asked if he could have ever imagined his food being shared with the masses, Loreti looked at me, with tears in his eyes. “I can’t believe it,” he says. “But this is what I love. I don’t know how to do anything else.”
Ready for a Taste of Italy, New Jersey-Style?
If you live in or near New Jersey, it’s easy to find Nanina’s at markets ranging from Fairway and Kings Food Markets to ShopRite, plus smaller specialty markets and delis. Live farther away? You can order directly from the company’s website.
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!
Other
Submit
