From the origins of Matador Pizza and Steakhouse 45 years ago until today, we have striven to keep our recipes as fresh as possible using local ingredients. Whenever possible we source locally – from the cheese, pepperoni, and salami used in creating our pizzas to the chicken, beef, and pork used in our lunch and dinner dishes. However, there are occasions when we need to reach out farther from home to get the freshest and the best quality.
To show our gratitude to our partners in success, we are highlighting those suppliers who have joined us on our journey. This month we would like to feature Stanislaus Tomatoes.
Stanislaus Tomatoes, located in California, supplies us with the tomatoes for all our sauces. The best sauces start with the best tomatoes, and they are world-class. Generation after generation, Stanislaus Food Products has maintained that unwavering commitment to quality, believing that quality products attract quality customers. We at Matador understand this and are willing to pay for the extra effort and investment of fresh-packed tomato products because we know our customers understand “Real Italian” taste.
With family roots in the small farms of Tuscany and Liguri in Italy, the Stanislaus family-owned cannery in Modesto, California, has specialized in fresh-packing “Real Italian” tomato products to Italian restaurants and delivering homemade-quality products that are never from a concentrate.
Making their tomatoes “best of the best” isn’t just business for Stanislaus Tomatoes; it is highly personal. Their employees take great pride in knowing that, for generations, restaurant families across the United States and Canada have counted on Stanislaus tomatoes to make their own recipes taste their best. Stanislaus thinks of their restaurateur customers as members of their extended family. They believe that they cannot succeed unless their customers have success!
Stanislaus Tomatoes takes pride in their unique processing methods. These methods ensure fresh-packed tomato products are of – “superior quality – all of the time.” They evaluate the tomatoes received from the growers and pay them cash premiums based on quality of the product. They capture the just-picked fresh tomato flavor by rushing the tomatoes straight from the field into the same can we open in our restaurant. Additionally, they minimize cooking temperatures and focus approximately 80% of their quality control efforts on controlling quality while the product is being made, not after the fact. They do not re-manufacture tomato products year-round from bulk industrial tomato concentrate and water.
Tom Cortopassi, President and co-owner, states that he learned many of the “Real Italian” values that guide their family-owned company from his Italian parents and grandparents while growing up. Values like “Always work hard,” “Always do your best,” “Always keep your word,” and “Never cut corners.”
Like Matador Pizza, the folks at Stanislaus value customer relationships and are committed to maintaining the highest food quality and service standards. Matador Pizza and Stanislaus Tomatoes share a commitment to high-quality ingredients, excellent service, and provision of a family atmosphere in a clean, safe, and healthy environment.