Condiments to the Chef: Copper Pot Food Company

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WHAT DOES A chef do when he's left a restaurant and cooks so much that he fills his house with sauces and jams? For Stefano Frigerio, who used to be in the kitchen at Mio and the now-closed Maestro, the answer was to start the Copper Pot Food Company and sell his products at area farmers markets.

"Basically, after I left Mio, I was at home with my kids with nothing to do," he says. "We would go to farmers markets to buy food and keep myself busy, and my sons loved it."

As a result of those visits to the market, Frigerio acquired lots of fruits and vegetables and started using them in sauces and jams.

"I use local farms, mostly from farmers markets," he says. "There's a stand in Dupont Circle where we go for our shopping, and because we developed a relationship with them, they know we use their stuff and they call when fruits and vegetables are ready, and we come pick them up."

He launched Copper Pot earlier this spring and right now offers five jams, including white fig and balsamic vinegar jam, and three sauces, like smoky bacon and Parmesan. Frigerio says that since he sources from local markets, jams and sauces always reflect the season.

"This summer we'll have new products," he says. "Cherries are about to come up, and apricots are coming up soon."

There are also pastas, some of which are filled with vegetables, cheeses and meats, like a goat cheese and beet ravioli. Frigerio says that some of the pasta recipes are ones he used at Mio and Maestro.

"There were 23 recipes in the Maestro kitchen, and I saved the recipes in a book," he says, "Other pastas are ones I used to eat when I was a kid."

Like the sauce and jam ingredients, pasta ingredients also come from the markets.

"I plan to change pasta based on the seasons," Frigerio says. "I see what people bring to the market, and talk to them about their lamb or rabbit and find something that works for me, and has the right taste. I tell people that the pasta ingredients come from the same market, and that the lamb in the ravioli is the same lamb you can buy over there."

While his new venture means that Frigerio gets to see his three kids more, sometimes they try to "help" in the kitchen.

"When I bring in strawberries, they come out and help wash them," he says. "The only thing that's kind of bad is that they eat them —a lot of them."

You can buy Copper Pot products at markets around D.C. and Virginia, and Frigerio estimates that a Web store will be up and running by the end of the summer.

CATCH THE COPPER POT
Sauces, jams and even pastas from the Copper Pot Food Company can be found at farmers markets in Washington, D.C., and Virginia:

D.C. Spots:
» 14th & U Farmers Market, Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
» Bloomingdale Farmers Market, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
» Georgetown Farmers Market, Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m.

Virginia Spots:
» Fairfax Farmers Market, Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to noon
» Vienna/Oakton Farmers Market, Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon
» Herndon Farmers Market, Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon

Written by Express contributor Amy Cavanaugh
Photo courtesy Threelockharts PR