As the carbophile capital of the world, Italy is known as the home plate of sweet San Marzanos, aromatic olive oils, and bountiful bucatini. For now, a pasta pilgrimage is probably out of the question (thanks again, Covid), but there is a one-stop satiation station for all the most authentic Italian goods.

Gustiamo was started in 1999 by Beatrice Ughi, the Bronx-based import maven. Her mission is to curate only the purest, most legitimate Italian products from the motherland. Though you are welcomed to shop a la carte, Gustiamo offers a variety of thoughtfully composed gift boxes like the Viva Italia! we gifted a chef friend (Dad’s co-worker) as a thank you. This box contains delectably diverse ingredients such as 100 percent Italian plum tomatoes, coarse sea salt, Piemonte hazelnuts, and linguine – the perfect pantry plumper. For someone with such a high IQ (Italian Quotient) our chef friend loved his package, and I got extra pets the next time he came over.

Options such as the Spaghetti con la Colatura provide the elements to recreate this Southern Italian staple. You can also upgrade the packaging to a reclaimed wooden crate – repurposed from the local Bronx produce markets – for a farmer’s market chic vibe. For the carb lovers, the olive oil drizzlers, and the biscotti nibblers: we saluti you!