A month ago we announced that Osteria 166’s Stock the Freezer campaign had reached the 6500 meal donation mark. Incredibly, that astounding number led to a brand new business tact taken by Osteria 166 owner Nick Pitillo, who now says that his pre-packaged and frozen, ready-to-go Italian meals have landed on the shelves of all four Western NY Dash’s Markets. This is a big deal for Pitillo, who originally launched the initiative to feed families during COVID-19.
With the tagline “Let Nani feed you” – Nani being Nick’s mother – these easy to prepare, delicious restaurant-quality Italian meals are quickly becoming the talk of the town. Instead of reaching for a can of massed produced ravioli made in, say, Milton, Pennsylvania, Buffalonians can now pick something up that was prepared locally, by a family that is in the business of supporting Buffalo.
Dash’s also picked up jars of Nick’s “vine-ripened” marinara sauce. This was probably a smart move for Dash’s on numerous fronts, including saving on transportation costs. Sourcing these types of goods locally not only means the foods are fresher, they also don’t need to travel from far-flung production sites.
I don’t think that anyone could have predicted the rapid pace that this “hometown meal program” has spread throughout the area. What started as a knee-jerk reaction to feed local families during the crisis, bundled with an uber successful meal donation element, has now become a full fledge business unto itself.
For information, visit StockTheFreezer.com, or contact Osteria 166 at info@OsteriaBuffalo.com or Villaggio at info@villaggioevl.com.