The Italian Riviera and Riviera Market part two

The other day I wrote about how the Riviera Market sells our veggie burgers and lots of other delicious and healthy foods.   The Riviera Market is only one part of the equation as it is an extension of the Italian Riviera in Waldwick, NJ.    

The Italian Riviera is a extraordinary Italian Deli.   It has everything you would expect it to have.  It is not vegetarian but a vegetarian can definitely get  something wonderful to eat without feeling guilty.   They have eggplant parmigiana that is out of this world.   The fresh mozzarella, which is made fresh in the kitchen, is the best I have ever had.  A friend asked if they had broccoli rabe and was thrilled that they do....sauteed with garlic and oil (which I cannot duplicate )~ so good. They also have a wide variety of pasta's and sauces plus the most incredible soups you can get.   My favorite's include the mushroom with Gorgonzola and the escarole with beans.    Maryanne who used to own the deli with her husband Paul still comes in to make her famous chicken noodle and Italian Wedding soups.   Oh and Paul comes in to make the fresh mozzarella I mentioned before.  

To go along with healthy eating the Italian Riviera is also a great place to get "Gluten Free" foods.   Just last night they stocked some gluten free frozen muffins and cinnamon rolls.   They carry a line of cookies called My Dad's Cookies which are also gluten free.  There are Gluten Free Pasta's and whole grain breads and even Vegan Ravioli.....

So come by and see all that you can get at the deli to suit your vegetarian or gluten free food needs.  Oh and if ever you want to have a day to splurge on your diet just go ahead and get the best Italian sub you will ever taste!

The Origin of the Barbecue Veggie Burger

Theresa was in a quandary....how to get her kids to like and eat more vegetables.   She had already developed the Southwestern burger but her kids wouldn't eat it because of the spices.   Then she had an idea....kids like sweet...so she decided to make a sweeter veggie burger and put in a vegetable she knows her kids love--mainly corn.    She already knew they like her barbecue sauce because she had been making that for awhile so why not use that with a veggie mix.    What developed was a most kid friendly veggie burger that lots of adults like too.   We had quite the learning experience with this one....I think I mentioned  it before how we never new Worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it....we had to find one that didn't in order to be a true veggie burger.   We found Annie's Naturals which has a vegan sauce--problem solved.   Anyway the Barbecue Veggie Burger is still a very popular flavor but wouldn't you know it  her kids have developed a taste for "spicy" & "hot" and love her Southwestern Veggie Burger too.....

Lessons Learned!

So there we were at our very first Farmer's Market selling our wonderful Veggie Burgers.   We had signs and a list of ingredients.   We had a little marketing sheet that told people who we were.  We also had a mini grill to heat up samples.   It is funny how you can attract a crowd with free food.   Anyway we were so proud of ourselves.  We were asked lots of questions that we felt very comfortable answering.   We knew our food-- that is until we got the one question we never in a million years expected.  

There are three different types of Veggie Burgers that we make.  One is our Barbecue Burger.   It is made with homemade barbecue sauce---which has Worcestershire sauce in it.    Theresa developed it because she felt kids would like it the most as it has a sweetness about it.   Imagine our surprise when a potential customer asks us ~and I quote ~ "is the Worcestershire Sauce vegetarian?" 

Picture a dumbfounded look on our face....see we had no idea that Worcestershire sauce is not technically vegetarian....since it has anchovies in it.   Who Knew!!!

So there is our first lesson that we learned about people's food issues.   We looked into it and found that there are not many companies that sell a vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce.   Luckily we did find Annie's Naturals which puts out a Vegan Worcestershire sauce....which is what we now use.   I guess the old saying is correct "live & learn" ~which helps to make things better.