Make Every Day Sunday!

Last Sunday, I was invited by a friend of mine who works with Steve Schirripa, the owner and namesake of Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties, to attend a food tasting at Grace's Marketplace in Greenvale, Long Island. You may know Steve better as "Bobby" from The Sopranos.

Let me tell you, whether you are Italian or not, I can assure you that this is the best jar sauce I have ever tasted. Generally, I will use a jarred sauce as a base to my own homemade sauce because it makes a good base for what I really want to do with the tomatoes, oregano, basil, garlic, onions, wine, and Parmesan cheese (no sugar or tomato paste in my sauce).

Uncle Steve's sauce is so good, I will tell you not only did I enjoy it I bought several jars and served them to my family. They said it was the best sauce I ever made. As much as I wanted to take credit, I admitted that it was not mine and gave credit where credit was due. It was a hit.

I spoke with Steve and my friend Felice, who laid out for me their ambitious business plan for the year. Essentially, the goal is to saturate the New York, New Jersey and The Northeast markets by June. They are marketing in stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other specialty stores which cater to organic and gluten-free food.  The plan is to be national by year-end.

Felice, Steve Schirripa and me (left to right)

Steve Schirripa is scheduled to appear during April on the Today Show and The View as the roll out gains steam. This should be the boost he and his team need as the product makes a big play.

As with most new products, having a big named celebrity behind the product will certainly make a good opportunity ever better. In this case, when the celebrity developed the product and the team to make and market his product, it's not just about using his name. Instead, there is a passion, interest and devotion to make sure his product is a success.

Trust me, Steve is no different than any entrepreneur to move his product from the assembly line to the store shelves and ultimately to homes across the nation. He is a nice guy with an engaging smile, but he is also a business person who wants to succeed. A great sauce is a great way to accomplish that goal.

Presently he has three sauces available, Marinara, Arrabiata and Tomato/Basil. They are all tasty and enjoyable.

You can visit Steve's website, www.UncleStevesNY.com for information on recipes, products and other important information. You can follow Steve on Twitter @UncleStevesNY or like on Facebook, UncleStevesNY.

Finally, as every Italian knows, Sunday is traditionally the day Mom made the big meal for the week with sauce, meatballs, sausage, pasta and other delectable food, hence the tagline "Make every day Sunday!"

I did. Shouldn't you?