CONTE'S COMES TO MIDTOWN!

I first heard about the glories of Conte's Gluten-Free Pasta some months ago, then finally found some at Get Healthy America in Plainview, Long Island. I especially enjoyed the stuffed shells and the plump pasta pillows that are Conte's ravioli, and wondered when, if ever, I'd find them in New York City.

Well, I found them—at the Westerly Natural Market in Midtown West!

Here's what Conte's director Judy A. Sabella wrote to me about the safety of Conte's gluten-free products:

We are a USDA/FDA-approved facility, USDA est. #18969. Although we also process wheat, we take very seriously our responsibility to use good manufacturing practices to segregate materials and production to avoid cross-contamination.

As a USDA facility our machines, mixers, packers, etc are broken down at the end of each day, thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. The production room itself is washed down and cleaned.

On gf production days all equipment is cleaned a second time in the morning before production begins. During gf production ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER PRODUCT is introduced into the production area. If we are not running a full day of gf production we will do the gf first, empty the production room and then begin "regular" production. At no time do we have both items in the production area.

As I mentioned before our complete gf line is All-Natural, Wheat-Free, Soy-Free, non-GMO, and contain NO WBRO. I also want to mention that we have been manufacturing our gf line for close to ten years and I have never heard from anyone who has had a problem with any of them.

In case I didn't tell you before, here's some more good news. We are currently working on a variety of wheat-free/gluten-free microwave meals including things like Cheese Lasagna, Meat Lasagna, Vegetable Lasagna, Stuffed Shells w/Tomato Sauce, Cheese Manicotti w/Tomato Sauce, and, Spaghetti & Meatballs w/Tomato Sauce, as well as several others. We use our own gf Tomato Sauce and gf Meatballs. I anticipate these items becoming available some time in February.

Here's a picture of the pasta at Westerly; it's true that it's on the pricey side, but I assure you that the 191.84/lb. unit price is a complete error.


















Photo: David Marc Fischer