A True Taste of Italy on Whidbey Island, or at Home

We’re all hungry for international travel these days.  Ciao Food & Wine based on Washington’s Whidbey Island provides the flavors of Italy with a new online marketplace and curated boxes. Order in a “Date Night,” have an Italian wine experience delivered or explore a selection of small batch artisan sauces and spreads, imported cheese, fresh pastas and more.

A popular local restaurant located in the seaside community of Coupeville, Ciao continues to serve hungry customers its flavorful, authentic fare at the restaurant, yet Chef and Owner Mark Laska has expanded his business to meet customers at home with retail and curated boxes available to ship nationwide.

Before settling in Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Ciao Owner and Chef Mark Laska mentored in Italy under Enzo Coccia, founder of the slow food movement, who wrote the globally recognized standards on making the best Neapolitan pizza and was also recently been featured on CNN’s Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy,” It was here that Mark developed a passion for Italy’s love of food and sense of place and received certification to make authentic Neapolitan Pizza by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture before choosing Whidbey Island to raise his family and business alongside one another.

The shop, ciao.store, features all of the hard to find, artisan products from family-owned Italian purveyors that Mark has used throughout his time in both Italy and running a beloved local restaurant. A dose of local flavor is found in products like Ciao’s “Secret Spices,” freshly baked goods and smoked Penn Cove Mussels. Cured meats, cheeses, artichoke and bruschetta spreads are available to purchase individually or in curated sets like Porch Party, Date Night, and Picnic in the Park. Ciao’s wine selection, available individually or in regular shipments through the wine club, is sourced from small production, family owned and mostly organic Italian wineries.

Salut!