Campbells purchased Raos
I don’t know how I feel about this. My immediate assumption is that the quality will decline. On the other hand I rarely purchase their products because I can’t wrap my mind around paying $8-10 for a jar of marinara sauce that I can make just as well for like $3.
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I agree with you completely. Hard to imagine the quality not declining given time.
There goes the neighborhood.
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Actually Campbells purchased Sovos.
Sovos already purchased Rao’s in 2017, and the reactions then were also about how it was definitely going downhill.
Anyone noticed a difference since then? I haven’t, but ymmv.
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Exactly.
Much ado about nothing.
If anything, this is actually a good thing.
It allows Rao’s to have access to more shelf space at grocery stores. Which, if you like Rao’s, is a good thing.
Deep breath, the sky is not falling.
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Yeah. I found it interesting that my perception (due to the Rao’s restaurants) was that the food brand was a small, kindof family-owned, specialty brand. Then it started showing up everywhere. I make most of my pasta sauces using Mutti polpa, but Rao’s is the best of the prepared sauces we’ve found. So……. I’m not really concerned.
Sovos Brands was almost a billion dollar company itself, so Rao’s was already in the ‘danger zone’ ……. if you’re concerned about such things. Hopefully Campbell’s will have enough sense to leave the recipes alone.
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Pretty sure they will initially… but like with most acquisitions, they will eventually be modified to include more company wide practises/ingredients.
Luckily my fav (Mezzetta) is still family owned. (c;
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I bought my first jar of Mezzetta last week, a small jar of pizza sauce, and was quite happy with it. I don’t recall having seen any of their sauces here (bruschetta and pesto, yes, but no tomato sauces) until recently. I haven’t seen their larger regular pasta sauce jars yet, but maybe the local grocery chain is taking small steps?
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I don’t know if they’re there or not, because outside of BOGO deals, I tend to only see the stuff I grew up with.
That’s how I’ve tried Rao’s, Mid’s, and (now) the Mezzetta pizza sauce - they were bogo once and I snagged them. I tend to overbuy long-storage (canned or jarred) foods when bogo because I figure they’re good past Armageddon and will get eaten eventually.
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Luv their peppers and olives too! I can’t remember a single jar of any of their stuff I didn’t find delicious.
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My PIC is obsessed with their sliced banana peppers for his sammiches. They work great for Mississippi roast, too.
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I’d never heard of this so I looked it up, and decided I need to try it. I’ve got a couple of chuck roasts in the freezer. Thanks!
Photo from linked recipe:
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It’s really good, but with one caveat: unless your chuck roast isn’t very fatty (and the ones I’ve had def were fatty), do not I repeat DO NOT add butter. It is completely & utterly unnecessary. It’ll be greasy enough, but not in an unappealing way that the added butter would make it. Also, I basically pour the entire jar of peppers in, liquid and all, and if you like it spicy, add some pickled jalapeños or even fresh jalapeños. It is an absolute salt / umami bomb, but/and people inhale it 
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Thanks, I very much appreciate the tips. Mine in the freezer are well trimmed (I cut them from a whole chuckroll) but still chuck is going to be fatty. I scanned 4 recipes and they all say add butter (anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup), which I was kind of looking askance at anyway.
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From the Mezzetta website
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I agree with skipping the butter. Totally unnecessary.
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I’ve always used butter, even with fatty chuck, and have so far lived to tell the tale. The butter adds another layer of taste and you can always skim as you serve.
I think of Mississippi roast as a vaguely rustic confit – you need all that fat – with a built-in sour-sharp element.
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