Calling all Italian food lovers! People who truly love Italian food know that taste is everything and that the best meals are prepared with love. If you’re someone who shares our passion for authentic Italian experiences and the ingredients that make great food, show us your expertise by creating and submitting a video that shares your knowledge and your love of Italian food— whether it features your own dish, an old family recipe, or a passion for a certain ingredient.

The person who submits the winning entry will taste, sip and savor the flavors of Italy alongside the Michael Angelo’s family this September. You’ll travel the Italian countryside searching for the highest quality ingredients, experience old-world food preparation and see why Michael Angelo’s has been doing it the same way for more than 30 years.

How to Enter

• Simply go to the  Wildfire App on our Facebook Page and upload a 1-3 minute video that shares your knowledge and your love of Italian food between now and July 5, 2013. Be sure your video shows us why you’re the perfect candidate for a food lover’s experience of a lifetime.
• If your video is chosen as one of five finalists, you’ll be notified via private Facebook message.
• Michael Angelo’s Facebook fans will vote on the finalists to determine the winning video. If you’re a finalist, it’s up to you to share your video to score more votes.
• Good luck!

Contest Ends

July 05, 2013 @ 11:59 pm (CDT)

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The first time I saw my meals packaged and being sold was when I was still working at the grocery store. We were putting out products in the store and I couldn’t believe it when I saw our meals, Michael Angelo’s! It was unbelievable and so exciting at the same time. It is hard to put into words what is like when you see your son’s hard work and all the time you spend making the meals, now being sold to everyone in the store.  I would never make a scene when I would be checking someone out that was buying our meals, but other checkers in the store would yell “Those are her meals!” and point to me if someone was buying one of them. It was such a feeling of almost disbelief.

It wasn’t long after that, that I quit my job at the grocery store and worked at Michael Angelo’s full time. In the beginning our team was very small and we had to make personal sacrifices for the business, but not once did I ever doubt anything or want to change the long days we had because I did it out of the love for my son. We all wore many hats and I loved my jobs in Quality Assurance and Research and Development. I would watch every product being made to make sure it was made up to our standards. Working double shifts at the factory was tiring, but not once did I not enjoy what I was doing because I was there supporting my son.

To this day my two of boys, Anthony and Michael, and I,  get together to create new meals. I have had to let some jobs go to those I trust, but when it comes to my meals and recipes, I am just as involved as I was in the beginning.  Authenticity and taste are still the most two important things to me.

Family is the most important thing to me so being able to come to work every day and see my kids is the best job in the world! We have been through a lot as a family with me being a single parent and working to provide a life for my boys, but with our bond and the change I made with the power of positive thinking it changed me to push for more for my family.  It wasn’t easy and at times it took all I had to provide for my kids, but my love for my family is what made me grow stronger and be able to do more for them as well as myself.

Sinceramente,

Sara

For Mother’s Day we reflect back with Sara on the strength it took to not only raise 5 boys on her own, but the courage she had to help achieve not only her dreams, but those of her family as well. This will be a two part blog post series that covers Sara’s ambition she had for a better life for her boys and her journey with Michael Angelo’s.

When I was growing up I spent much of my time in the kitchen with my Grandmother Foti learning how to cook and mastering her recipes, so when the kids were growing up I always cooked for them as well as anyone else that came over to our house. Eventually, I started cooking outside of the home when we moved to Connecticut and I worked in an Italian Deli making meals for them to sell. This is where I can remember being the first time I had this idea in my head that one day I would like to have my own restaurant, a pizzeria.  I didn’t know when or if this would happen, but I knew this was something that I wanted to think about.

When we were moving back from Connecticut to California a friend of mine had a pizza oven that I wanted to buy. We didn’t have much money at all, so I worked it off, and we moved the pizza oven back to California. At the time I knew we didn’t have any plans to do much with it, but the idea was still in the back of my mind about having the pizzeria one day

When the boys were getting older the idea that I had in my head about opening a pizzeria popped in my head again so I decided to give it a shot. I couldn’t believe that we actually were able to open our pizzeria, Dino’s Pizzeria, named after my youngest son, on St. Patrick’s Day 1982.  I put all I had into this restaurant and all the kids had their job to do in the restaurant as it was a family effort to run the pizzeria. A few years into the pizzeria being open my third oldest, Michael Angelo, came back to California to dive into the pizzeria and make it even bigger. He had a vision for the place and goals of where he wanted the business to go.

After Michael took over the pizzeria change happened so quickly! I still was working full time at the local grocery store since I still had my younger boys to provide for, while Michael ran the restaurant. In the evening we would make my meals in the evening so Michael could freeze them and then sell them in the restaurant. We needed a name for our frozen meals and when I asked him what he was going to call them he said with confidence, “Michael Angelo’s” named after him.  I will never forget when I asked him why he was doing this and what his drive was with our business and he told me, “My goal is to have my mother’s food on everyone’s table.”

From there we sold my frozen meals to local businesses to re-sell. We then sold the pizzeria when we decided to make our meals full time and when Michael opened up our first factory. Now I didn’t know anything about formulating recipes or measuring, because I cooked the way my grandmother taught me, to go by taste and the recipe in your head so I would cook and Michael would measure what I was using so we could make larger batches to make more of my meals at a time.  I never changed my standard of only the best ingredients in my meals and to this day we use the same ingredients as we do when I cook at home.

Growing up in an Italian family there was always a hint of garlic in all the dishes Mom made.  There isn’t a certain dish that I remember being my first taste of garlic because we used it to enhance all the meals that we cooked.  When I decided to start selling Mom’s meals, she and I both knew it was important to have only the best ingredients in them, especially when it comes to the garlic, as it is a staple in many of her recipes.

In the beginning we tried all types of garlic and tasted them in our dishes. Some of the flavors were washed out or were to tart and they weren’t enhancing our meals like we know they could. Once we realized that the Italian heirloom garlic was the perfect ingredient in our recipes, we knew we had to find a farm that could produce them up to our quality and standards.

We found a producer of Italian Heirloom garlic in the United States with a family owned garlic farm in Gilroy, California called Christopher Ranch.  The farm has been in the Christopher family for over 50 years and just like us, they have an unwavering commitment to quality with their products.

The seeds used to grow their garlic are from Italy and we believe that with the Italian heirloom garlic we get from Christopher Ranch, we are using the best garlic available in our meals for you. Unlike American varieties, Italian garlic is very tacky and has a slick and sticky feeling on the inside. Its juice is what ensures that each clove caramelizes to perfection and produces a consistently mild, sweet flavor each and every time.

We could easily go out and buy lower cost garlic to use, but that wouldn’t be up to our standards or what Mom would have used in her kitchen, so we wait patiently for the 9 months it takes for the garlic to mature so we can have the full flavor of the garlic to use. This ingredient is at the heart of our signature taste that you will find in our Eggplant Parmesan, Chicken Piccata, and Sausage Lasagna.

Sinceramente,

Michael Angelo

March is National Frozen Food Month and we wanted to take the time to share some of the great comments we’ve received on how we have helped you enjoy great tasting Italian food when you don’t have the time or energy to cook it yourself.  

We cook each small batch from scratch and ship our meals to your local grocery store within hours of getting an order so you know you are getting a meal that is fresh from Sara’s kitchen!

We take great pride in making the best tasting Italian food in the freezer, but nothing makes us happier than when we read comments from our fans like these:

 “I’ve been buying your meals for years. They really do taste like homemade and are delicious” – Louisa

“I love your products.  They are just the right portion & very tasty too.  No preservatives, good ingredients also.” – Ed

“I love this product, it has home quality flavor, the Eggplant Parm it the best!! Try it, you’ll like it…This statement comes from a true Italian & not because my son is Michael Angelo, because it is true. EXCELLENT QUALITY” – Audrey

“Love their products, if you haven’t tried any of them, you don’t know what you’re missing. I’ve gotten quite a few neighbors/family/friends hooked. My family is from Italy, and this is the closest I’ve found to homemade.” – Nancy

“I love your meals and the aroma that fills the home as these meals are cooking smells like a fine Italian restaurant.”- Angie

Thank you for trusting us to bring you quality, preservative free Italian food! Not only do we make great standalone meals, but we pair very nicely with additional sides inside your freezer such as frozen vegetables and garlic bread!

This Frozen Food Month get creative with us and see what great meals you can easily put together for your family!

RSVP: Dinner for Two

With every Valentine’s Day comes the question of what to do for your special someone. The first thought you may have is to go to a restaurant, but with that comes a less private setting, taking the time to make a reservation, and being ready to spend a pretty good amount of money.

Rather than have someone else host your special day, do it yourself! With the help Michael Angelo’s,  you can make a Valentine’s Day meal an experience they will never forget!

1)      Head to the store with the list below to get all the ingredients you need to make the perfect meal:

1. Michael Angelo’s Family Size Meal
2. Salad (this can be a bagged salad)
3. Bread (Italian or bread of your choosing)
4. Dessert ( Cannoli’s/ Tiramisu : You can buy these at your grocery store’s bakery)
5. Wine (or drink of choice)
6. Appetizer (If you would like to have something before dinner)

Note: All of the ingredients are all easy to make and inexpensive items you can find at your local grocery store

2)      Once you have planned your meal, make an invitation to give to your special someone to let them know the details. Have fun with this! Pick a fun name to call your restaurant where you will be serving your meal!

3)      The night of your meal:

1. Make a table setting that resembles an Italian restaurant. Things you can include are: Tablecloth (red or white), candles, & wine glasses
2. Put on classic Italian music in the background. This list can include the likes of Mina, Claudio Villa, and Renato Carosone
3. Dinner will only take about 15-30 minutes (depending how you cook our meal) to heat up your main entrée (your Michael Angelo’s meal), put together the salad, warm the bread up in the oven and pour the wine (or drink of choice) so have some appetizers out for you two to enjoy before you serve your meal
4. After dinner bring out your dessert to enjoy

Making dinner for your significant other will make it a Valentine’s Day that they will never forget. So don’t waste time and money on finding the perfect restaurant when you already have one in your home, your kitchen! From our kitchen to yours, let us help make it a memorable meal!

RSVP: No Big Plans

No worries if you don’t have any big plans because our meals are great for anytime!  Just grab your favorite Michael Angelo’s meal and enjoy along with your favorite wine for a nice relaxing evening! Let us take care of the cooking for you while you enjoy a night off!

With the start of the New Year, most of us start watching what we eat more closely than usual. We take the pledge to eat healthier and be conscious of the food that we put into our body. It is important to know where ingredients come from and that is why we make sure we use only the finest and freshest ingredients  in our meals.  Our meals our made without any preservatives or fillers so you are able to read each ingredient easily on the side of the box and feel good about what you are eating.

One of the ingredients we take pride in using in our meals is Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This cheese is truly an artisan product that is made by hand by cheese masters in Italy. Each master spends days, even holidays, watching over the cheese and making sure it is processing the correct way as it takes time to bring the cheese to perfection.

It takes at least 24 months from the time the cheese is made for it to achieve the highest level of quality.  The cheese masters are there for every step of the way and they refer to the process of the cheese maturing as the “passing of the two summers”.

There are many benefits that Parmigiano Reggiano cheese provides your body from being an excellent source of calcium as well as offering other vitamins and minerals that nourish your body. Of course, everything is in moderation, so we use this cheese to accent our meals such as our Eggplant Parmesan.

We take pride in using Parmigiano Reggiano in our meals along with our other finest ingredients to bring you great tasting, preservative free, authentic family meals you can enjoy throughout the year and feel good about what you are eating.

Friends,

We would like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season!  This time of year we often reflect upon the memories we’ve made and what the future holds.

This year has held many great accomplishments and opportunities for the Michael Angelo’s family. In 2013 we will celebrate a fantastic 30 years of business as Michel Angelo’s gourmet foods. We want to personally thank you for your business and partnership over the years.

We both continue to stay true to our promise and passion by producing the highest quality meals with fresh ingredients and no preservatives.

We wish you and your families a safe and fulfilling holiday season.

Family always comes first and Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods, Inc. second! However, when I get any downtime I enjoy my favorite hobby, Formula Racing.

Growing up in an Italian family, racing was something I grew up following and watching.  Now, with the Formula 1 race taking place in Austin this week, I’ve looked back as to how racing became such an important pastime to me and how it’s played a big part in my family’s life as well.

It all started when my brother Walter decided he wanted us to attend the Skip Barber Racing School to celebrate his birthday. Now, when he told me this idea I just looked at him like, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Racing? Well, before I had time to tell him “no” he informed me he signed us up already, so off we were to California to learn how to race on the Laguna Seca track.

After four days of racing, our lives were changed! From the moment we came home we couldn’t stop thinking about it. I thought that would be the end of it, however, Walter had more in mind. Not too much longer after a conversation we had, I was buying my first race car.

I raced in the Formula Continental series for a little over 10 years.  My wife Cheryl, and I, would load all the kids up in our motor coach and have a great time on our road trips to the course. It was great being able to pursue my hobby, while having my family involved in every step of the way.

My favorite course to race is where it all began, Laguna Seca. There’s nothing like driving and coming up on the “corkscrew” section that just makes you put all your guts into one single moment to get the best lap times possible.

Racing is something that I will always have a passion for, and I will continue to race as long as I have the time.  As an avid fan that follows the sport closely, I look forward to having another dream come true, attending a race in the city where I live!

I can’t wait for my family to all come together to watch F1 in Austin, Texas!

Sinceramente,
Michael Angelo

Hello everyone!

Today I’m here to share two of my favorite recipes with you: my Caprese Stacker and my Tiramisu. Michael and I featured these recipes on a recent Daytime TV segment about easy holiday cooking. When I’m busy with family in town, I often rely on one of our delicious Italian frozen entrées for the main course and prepare a simple but delicious appetizer and dessert to accompany it. If you make the Tiramisu in the morning, it’s ready by dinnertime, and the Caprese Stacker can be prepared while the lasagna or eggplant parmesan bakes in the oven (my favorite way to cook our meals)!

Sincerely,
Sara

Caprese Stacker

Ingredients*:
• Rustic Italian bread
• Tomatoes, large heirloom if possible
• Fresh mozzarella, buffalo if possible
• Fresh eggplant, sliced
• Olive oil, extra virgin
• Fresh basil
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh rosemary
• Prepared basil pesto
• Balsamic vinegar glaze
• Imported Romano cheese, grated
• Black olives
• Salt and black pepper
• Your favorite Italian dressing (homemade if you have the time and inspiration!)

Directions:
1. Heat a few glugs of olive oil in a hot sauté pan and add some fresh garlic cloves, just slightly crushed with your hand. Sauté until it becomes aromatic (about 30 seconds). Be careful not to let it burn! Remove the oil from the stove and take out the garlic pieces.
2. Cut the bread ¼ inch thick, brush with your garlic-infused olive oil and toast in the oven at 400 degrees. When golden brown, remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated Romano cheese.
3. Grill your eggplant slices on a grill pan or outside on the grill until they have nice color and are cooked through. Spread each slice with a bit of pesto while the eggplant is still warm so it starts to soak up the pesto flavors.
4. Slice the tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, and Italian dressing. Slice the fresh mozzarella.
5. To plate, put once piece of bread down, followed by the eggplant slice, the tomato slice and the mozzarella slice. Garnish with fresh basil, rosemary, and a black olive. Drizzle the plate with Italian dressing and balsamic vinegar glaze.

*I’ve been making this recipe for so long that I don’t know the exact amounts for all the ingredients. Just buy enough to feed your family! And remember, extra cheese is always better than not enough cheese.

Tiramisu

Ingredients:
• 6 egg yolks
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons run
• 2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Keep stirring — this is very important as it keeps the egg yolks from scrambling! Boil gently for one minute, remove from the stove and let it cool. Cover the mixture tightly and chill in the refrigerator an hour.
2. Beat the cream with the vanilla together until you get stiff peaks. Whisk the mascarpone cheese into the chilled egg mixture.
3. Combine the coffee and the rum. Try not to drink it! Split the ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with the coffee mixture.
4. Arrange half of the soaked ladyfingers in the bottom of a 7×11 inch dish. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers, then half of the whipped cream over that. Repeat the layers and dust with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate for four to six hours before serving (waiting is the hardest part!).