LaRegina San Marzanos from Manzo

[mrbthree]

Hi everyone,
I've searched the forum for this with no results so I'm starting a topic on it.
I found  'La Regina di San Marzano' and 'La Regina Di Antonio Romano' tomatoes from Manzo Foods in Florida that I seems to be different from the 'La Regina San Marzano's' from Accardi that is discussed at length in other posts in this forum. I spoke with Alex at Manzo and he said their LaRegina San Marzano's are DOP certified.
He also commented that Manzo carries Bel Aria flour and that Bel Aria is DOC certified, while Caputo flour is not. Manzo's minimum order for products is 1/2 a pallet. They do not sell to "retailers"; there is  no distributor for their products anywhere in or near Texas that I can find.
Anyway, I am including a link below. Would appreciate your comments about these tomatoes, if you have ever used this brand.
Thanks very much for your input.
PS. I would also like to tell all of you that this forum is a huge help to me and I feel very connected to all of you who contribute to it.
Sometimes, I get to thinking I'm the only one out here that has this obsession to make great pizza. This forum brings me back to earth. Maybe I'm not nuts, afterall. Well, maybe I little. But, it's great fun and I love doing it. Wish I could figure out a way to do it for a living, but virtually the only jobs around here making pizza are at the national chains and that kind of pizza just breaks my heart. 


http://www.manzofood.com/tomatoes.htm

[scott r]

mrbthree

I have cans of tomatoes with labels that look exactly like the one pictured on the bottom right of your picture.  The only difference appears to be that my cans have a ribbed appearance, while the ones in the photo appear to be smooth. My tomatoes are from this years crop, so maybe the picture is from an older year where they sourced their cans from a different vendor. If they are in fact the same tomato inside I can vouch for their quality.  Even without the DOP certification these tomatoes are some of the best I have sampled.  IMO they are actually much better than most DOP tomtaoes.

Also, just wondering what the bthree stands for.  Are you into Hammond organs?

[mrbthree]

scott r

Thanks for the input. You are the go to guy for tomatoes, no doubt.

Yes, bthree=B-3, although I  played B-2's by preference(throatier, bluesier tone from the B-2 tonewheels); a hit-and-run driver put a stop to that slice of heaven but I'm OK, now. Do you play?
Now, my slice of heaven is tomato pies.

Scott, please tell me, where do you buy these 'San Marzano Di Antonio Romano' tomatoes, as Manzo calls them?
Alex at Manzo told me I had to order a minimum of 1/2 a pallet which is about 35 cans, and I just can't swing that at present. How much are you paying for these tomatoes when you buy?
Also, IYO how do these Manzo San Marzano's compare to the green label DOP LaRegina San Marzano's that come from Accardi?

[scott r]

They were from accardi.  They are similar to the DOP ones, but not quite as flavorful.   Accardi will not sell to the public, and are very adamant about this.   They will not do mail order. I am very lucky to be temporarily able to buy their products, but I think my days are numbered.  I buy my flour there and always try to put together a big order with tomatoes bottled water and cheese so that I can spend enough to keep them selling to me.  When I first went to them I was planning on opening my own pizzeria, and I told them that I was working on my recipe.  Since then my plans have changed because it costs too much money to rent space here in Boston.  I think the day might come that I will try to have my own place, but I will have to find some investors or go out to the suburbs.  For now I love my job as a record producer/recording engineer.  Hence the I Spy on your B3 handle.