COSSETTA Alimentari “Good Food, The Quality of Life”

A concrete sign that the commitment of CAST Alimenti to expand worldwide is bearing fruits

CAST Alimenti wishes to share with you all the significant story about a leading US establishment and its pursuit in improving and enhancing its knowledge and skills to better representing its core values.

As many did back in those days, in the late 1800’s a young man named Michele Cossetta came to St. Paul, Minnesota from Calabria, Italy, and settled in a little Italian neighborhood called the Upper Levee.

By 1911, he opened a tiny food market called Cossetta’s, which drew customers from everywhere who appreciated his quality foods and genuine hospitality, and since 1984, Cossetta’s has been known for its award-winning pizza, homemade sauces, handmade Italian sausages and friendly staff.

Cossetta’s recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary, and the fourth generation of the family has decided to transform its trademark offering to include an “Old World” feel a customer might experience while in Italy, without actually traveling there.

Nowadays, in the heart of St.Paul – in the north central part of the United Sates, 450 Km west from Chicago, home of many Blue Chips companies such as General Mills, 3M, Ecolab, Medtronic, Cargill and many more – the newly expanded Cossetta Alimentari is as grand as a true Italian marketplace – inside and out – comprising a  300-seat Eatery & Pizzeria; 100-seat Louis Ristorante & Bar; an impressive Pasticceria serving homemade pastry— a work of art designed with forniture fully handmade in Italy; an Italian Market with only the best Italian imported ingredients and fresh baked breads; the Cossetta Eventi, the catering branch designed to bring the best of Cossetta Alimentari directly to its costumers by providing a service of menu planning and delivering of chef-prepared meals for as many as two thousands.

Its motto perfectly describes what Cossetta Alimentari’s view is:

We had first met with Mr. Dave Cossetta – President and CEO of the company, in 2016 right before an event CAST Alimenti organized at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY where our 2015 Pastry World Champions and best culinary Instructors demonstrated their many talents and competencies in front of students, faculty and staff from the CIA who gathered in hundreds to see the Masters in action.

Mr. Cossetta has known about CAST Alimenti and its customized training activities for beginners and professionals for a long time and has had the chance to meet Master Iginio Massari and Director Mr. Vittorio Santoro – co-founders of CAST Alimenti in 1997 – through a mutual friend, Pastry Chef Biagio Settepani from Staten Island, NJ and as his goal was – and still is! – to expand his knowledge about authentic Italian culture through the hands of chefs trained and descending from Italy, he offered to become part of the executive team supporting CAST Alimenti on its first institutional didactic trip to the United States.

In that occasion, basis was set to build an agreement between CAST Alimenti and Cossetta’s Alimentari and a year after, a team of experts from CAST Alimenti left Brescia to spend a week in St. Paul to examine Cossetta Alimentari’s production methods, characteristics, typologies, quality, and quantity with the purpose to tailor its approach mode and menus into an even closer typical and authentic Italian style and taste without any other influence nor cultural contamination.

CAST Alimenti and Cossetta’s Alimentari  share the belief that the most reliable way to learn about authentic Italian cuisine and pastry is by discovering the ingredients characteristics and quality in the most unadulterated approach and directly where they were born, by learning from chefs who master the original techniques and recipes, by experiencing the genuine taste of local foods created and processed in their own places of origin.

Consequently, as part of the agreement set in 2016, this past April, 6 associates from all departments of Cossetta Alimentari attended our English courses taught by our reputable faculty in labs fully equipped with the latest technology, being so able to bring back home some of the necessary knowledge to nourish and put Cossetta’s Alimetari’s mission in place.

“Pasta – Foundation and evolution” – Instructor Walter Zanoni; “Artisan breads and hearth baking” – Instructor Fabio Bertoni; “Italian Pasticceria – Pastry and desserts” – Instructor Riccardo Magni; in such hands-on setting they learned about traditions as well as modernized processes; basic products, typical ingredients and regional varieties; history of regional Italian cuisine, pastry and baking; a whole new set of distinctive preparation techniques, captivating decorations and appealing presentations.

CAST Alimenti wishes to thank Mr. Dave Cossetta and all his staff in St. Paul for trusting our expertise and competence, we are all proud for being selected as guardians of the true Made-in-Italy, which our founding members have decided to deliver through educational programs in all culinary arts.

As with any successful recipe and preparation, we are still in the founding phases of what is going an incredible long lasting partnership. In the meantime, as time goes on, we trust our “ingredients”: knowledge and practical skills, innovation and excellence, rigour and passion, and experience and networking will come together with Cossetta’s Alimentari dedication and entrepreneurship, revealing the best of both ventures.