JENNIFER ALEXANDER RUPLE

Meet Chef Marcella Di Maria, one of Sofo Food’s newest and brightest shining stars. Upon entering Sofo’s Italian Market, you can’t miss her gleaming smile and fun, Italian-themed accessories – aprons, hats, earrings and even her eyeglasses illustrate her love for food.

Di Maria joined the Sofo’s team in April of 2024 when she began working at Sofo’s Italian Market on Monroe Street at the specialty grocery store’s salad bar, prepping the area and making displays. She was soon promoted to chef and now spends half of her week creating fresh dishes for customers to sample. The rest of the week, she spends in the test kitchen at Sofo Foods’ distribution center on Waggoner Boulevard.

Born and raised in Sicily, Di Maria learned to cook traditional Italian cuisine from her mother and family but wanted to take her food journey further. “Food and cooking were always my passion, but I was also interested in food presentation. My dream is to someday open a small, intimate restaurant with just 10 to 12 tables.”

You can find Di Maria, her samples, recipes, plus product advice at Sofo’s Italian Market on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 1 pm and again from 2 to 4 pm. Each week brings a new culinary adventure, keeping customers coming back for a taste of Italy. “The recipes I make for sampling are 90% easy to make,” said Di Maria. “I always say that you can have a good meal made with just a few good quality ingredients.”

Fettuccine with Garlic Shrimp and Lemon Juice
4 servings

1 bag of raw, frozen shrimp
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces fettuccine

Defrost the shrimp, dry them gently and place them in a bowl with the garlic, salt, pepper, fresh parsley and lemon zest.

Let the shrimp marinate for at least 30 minutes.

To a large frying pan, add a drizzle of oil and a little bit of butter. When butter has melted, add the shrimp. Halfway through cooking, add the lemon juice.

In another pan, heat the heavy cream. When the pasta is cooked, stir it into the sauce and add the shrimp. Garnish with fresh parsley or other herbs.

Risotto with Zucchini Cream and Bacon
4-6 servings

2 medium zucchini, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices of bacon, diced
1 shallot or ½ a sweet onion 1 ½ pounds of Arborio or Carnaroli rice 2/3 cup white wine Vegetable stock as needed Parmesan cheese A few tablespoons of butter

Cook the zucchini in a pan with oil. Add salt and pepper. Once the zucchini is cooked, blend half of it and set the other half aside.

In a high-sided pan, cook the bacon until crispy and set it aside.

In the same pan, sauté the onion for a few minutes, add the rice and toast it. Deglaze the rice with the wine. When the wine has evaporated, add enough broth to cover the rice. Stir occasionally, and when the rice has absorbed the broth, add more and continue cooking until the rice is cooked.

When the rice is almost ready, add the zucchini cream, the remaining zucchini, and the bacon. Turn off the heat and stir the rice with plenty of Parmesan cheese and a little butter.

Buon appetito!