Food lovers who have been forced to become armchair travellers don’t need to miss out on a taste of their favourite destinations following the launch of an ‘international farmers market’ specialising in artisan products from Europe.
With the latest lockdown and ongoing restrictions on holidays, travel professional Marco Rosa has founded a niche online delicatessen providing a one-stop-shop for specially selected food and wine from small-scale sustainable producers.
The range of delicacies available through Delicario (www.delicario.com) include charcuterie, truffles and mushrooms, wine and Champagne, paté, pasta, sauces and sweet treats that can be bought individually or through hampers, gift boxes and vouchers.
Marco founded the Kent-based business with Alex Scasny and Andrew Dack, two fellow specialists from the luxury services industry who share his passion for food and travel.
For more than 25 years Marco has worked with some of the world’s top travel brands including Abercrombie and Kent and Orient-Express (Belmond) and in 2018 set up his own luxury sales representation agency, Plateau International, featuring a portfolio of worldwide clients including small luxury river cruise lines and boutique hotels. With holiday plans currently limited, he said he wanted to reinvent the travel experience through a range of authentic food and drink products to enjoy at home.
“Our mission is to bring the best European artisan flavours to the table of appreciative customers, particularly during a period when travel to new and unexplored places is complicated,”
said Marco, who grew up on the island of Sicily, surrounded by a large family where the heart of the home was around the table.
“This year, Christmas cheer comes in gift boxes and hampers that capture the very best of authentic ingredients to create a ‘dining out experience’ in your own home.
“Over recent years the definition of luxury has changed for the sophisticated traveller and it’s no longer about simply staying in a glitzy hotel, but about the luxury of authenticity and the extraordinary beauty of the location, savouring the best of local hospitality, learning from rich cultural influences, the flavours of signature dishes and the distinguishing characteristics of an exceptional destination offering unique experiences. We have seen a shift by consumers towards conscious shopping for high quality, sustainable and often organically grown goods where the secret of successful cultivation has been passed down through several generations of mostly family-run businesses. Every product has a story to tell!”
Delicario’s hampers include the ‘Christmas Temptation’ with Damien Buffet brut rosé Champagne, Italian Vossignoria cheese laced with truffle, Ascolano olives from Piceno and Croccantino dark chocolate from Campania. The ‘Dinner for Two’ hamper includes Iberian ham, Wagyu beef rib-eye, Champagne, Barbera D’Alba wine and Piedmont hazelnut cake covered with dark chocolate fondant. Hampers and gift boxes, which range in price from £15 to £305, can also be individually tailored and greeting cards offer a personal touch.
The website includes information on the origin of every product, the producers and serving suggestions. Marco said these insights were aimed at building a strong connection for the customer, helping them to appreciate the amount of attention and effort dedicated to the production of each artisan creation.
Additionally, Delicario’s own label products represent smaller producers such as Pastor del Valle, specialising in thyme and rosemary crusted goats cheese produced in the Malaga countryside, and Oro di Pantelleria, where the D’Ancona family cultivate and hand-harvest fruit and vegetables for their preservative free sauces and jams on the island of Pantelleria off the coast of Sicily.
Author Bio:
Known as the ‘River Cruise Queen’, Jeannine Williamson is an award-winning travel writer, cruise expert and our cruise correspondent, who has clocked up thousands of nautical miles.
Photographs courtesy of Delicario
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