Celebrity world-renowned chef, Tom Colicchio, hosted an intimate dinner at Little River NYC for guests to try out his new sauce collections in partnership with The Jersey Tomato Company.
On February 25th, guests gathered at the Gramercy restaurant to try out new hearty tomato sauces by chef Colicchio that are set to hit the supermarket shelves in March. The tomato sauces come in different flavors: marinara, tomato basil and spicy.
PHOTO by: Michael Simon
In order to try the different flavors that Colicchio created, guests were treated to a three-course menu featuring the sauces and ways Colicchio pairs them with his signature dishes. Attendees were able to enjoy a Seafood Cioppino with the spicy sauce, Chicken Cacciatore with the marinara blend, and a Vegetable bolognese utilizing the tomato basil recipe.
Colicchio, a New Jersey native, introduced the meals and explained the concept behind the partnership with The Jersey Tomato. He takes pride in the fact that the sauces do not contain additives, sugars, preservatives or anything besides 100% New Jersey tomatoes. Another great advantage to the sauces is that they are low in calories and sodium. The antioxidants and vitamins from the tomatoes are left untouched to preserve the tomato’s natural taste.
After dinner, guests had a variety of desserts to choose from prepared by Colicchio himself. Each table was greeted by a giant mascarpone cheesecake topped with winter citrus, candied kumquats, and honey oats. To balance the flavors of the cheesecake, the tables also had scoops of blood orange sorbet and vanilla ice cream.
Colicchio’s love and passion for cooking was noted with every dish served at Little River. His triad of flavors, textures and combinations made the dinner enjoyable, and felt reminiscent of eating my Nonna’s homemade pasta sauce in Italy. His expertise in preparing a menu to appeal to everyone’s taste buds was not short of fantastic and the aromas cohesively danced through the restaurant as each dish was introduced.
As a token of appreciation to his guests, chef Colicchio gave away signed copies of his cookbook “Think Like a Chef” to every attendee. He is the author of three best-selling books, an eight-time winner of the James Beard Award, and head judge/executive producer of 17 seasons of “Top-Chef.”
For more information about The Jersey Tomato Co. and Tom Colicchio, visit JerseyTomatoCo.com as well as @TomColicchio on Instagram.
