When you want to cook Italian, it’s hard to get excited about it when shopping in a regular supermarket. One aisle of salt induced tomato products and basic pasta. When I really want to get into the experience of cooking Italian, I go to one of the six Claro’s Italian Markets throughout Southern California. Claro’s was started in 1948 in San Gabriel, near Los Angeles, by Joe Claro and his wife Mary. It is still a family owned business and you can feel it when you walk in their stores. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and my favorite part, taste testing whatever I want at the deli counter.  Even though the one I went to today, in Upland, is in a non-de-script strip mall, once you walk through the door, you know you’re in for a different shopping experience.

Claro’s has a great selection of imported and domestic Italian groceries. I have never seen so many tomato products, including a huge variety of San Marzano tomatoes, the best! They also carry a large array of olives, beans, canned tuna, the kind you enjoy in Italy, polenta and pastas. They sell a nice selection of wine, obviously mostly Italian but they also have an assortment of Greek, French and Argentinean wine as well. The deli is stocked with various Italian cheeses, cured meats and their own Italian sausage in many varieties. People line up at the deli to get sandwiches “to go” so avoid the lunch rush. I think what Claro’s may be best known for are their sweets. Do not go in here hungry! They have a huge assortment of cookies and breads. The one I can’t leave without is their own Pizelles, which are a flat anise flavored waffle cookie.

Before I went in the market today, I printed out a few recipes from their web site so I could be a bit more focused in my shopping in order to make a great Italian dinner tonight. The entire experience of cooking has already started out on an inspirational note because of my trip to Claro’s today. Salute!