Local Vendor Profile: Golden Boy Quiche

We’ve carried Golden Boy Pizza for more than 15 years and we’re excited about bringing in quiche, another product from the Golden Boy line to share with you.

By Carmelo Sigona

One of the most exciting parts of working with our local vendors is unveiling new products for our customers – whether they are new products from new vendors or new products from longtime vendors – and this week we’re doing just that. Longtime local vendor Gary Dielssen, owner of Golden Boy Pete/zza, has delivered freshly made North Beach-style focaccia gourmet pizza to Sigona’s for more than 15 years, and this week we’re unveiling another Golden Boy product that’s new to Sigona’s: quiche!

Local vendor Gary Dielissen has delivered Golden Boy Pizza to Sigona's for 15 years and we're excited to now offer his quiche.

As you know, quiche is a savory dish made from a base of eggs, cheese and cream, and is baked in a pastry shell. Any combination of ingredients can be added to the egg base, and we’re offering two of Gary’s choices: a Lorraine quiche and a spinach quiche. With your coupon this week (July 14-20, 2010) you can get a free 6 inch quiche when you make a purchase of $30 or more.

The Lorraine quiche, which originated in France, features bacon and onions, and is known as the oldest, most traditional (and most tempting!) variety of quiche. The spinach quiche, well, that speaks for itself now, doesn’t it.

“When I took on the Golden Boy wholesale business 25 years ago, pizza was more of a treat rather than the staple it is today,” said Gary. “The pizza industry, in the last few years, has started to diversify with other products, such as pastas. We did the same with the Golden Boy line about six years ago by adding quiche and frittatas.

Golden Boy focaccia gourmet pizza, Gary’s flagship product, originated at the Golden Boy restaurant in the North Beach area of San Francisco where it was offered under the name Golden Boy Pete/zza. Julio Sodini, the original restaurant owner, called the dish Pete/zza after his son, Peter. Gary kept Pete/zza as part of the company name after he bought the wholesale business.

Food hasn’t always been part of Gary’s career; he had two other businesses before he made the switch. In fact, Gary was doing home construction just before he purchased Golden Boy Pete/zza wholesale in November 1986.

“Home construction took a hard hit during the economic slump of the 1980s, and I decided it was time to get out of that atmosphere to make a change,” said Gary. “I didn’t even know how to wash dishes when I took on the Golden Boy wholesale business, but I knew that even during a recession, food is something that’s steady and secure. Fortunately, my brother was a restaurant manager, at the time, so he was able to lend some industry expertise.”

Gary was right about food being secure…25 years later, he’s still with Golden Boy. His wife, Lesley, and son, Clay, also help operate the business.

Our longtime customers, those who have been shopping at the Redwood City store since we were mostly an outdoor produce market, will likely remember large stacks of Gary’s Golden Boy pizza for sale just outside the cash registers.

“Gary has sold his pizza at Sigona’s for more than 15 years, so the quiche is new and exciting for us,” said John Nava, Sigona’s specialty foods buyer. “It’s delicious and we’re happy to expand our product line with this new item, especially with this quality quiche from a local vendor.”

Gary’s Golden Boy team helps make all the handmade quiches, from cracking eggs to sautéing onions. Golden Boy products are made with products from local vendors, too: milk and cream come from Berkeley Farms and Gary gets cheeses from the Willows creamery in Sacramento — a company he’s worked with for 20 years. Gary also makes personal deliveries to both Sigona’s locations at least twice a week and has no plans of distributing any Golden Boy products outside of the Bay Area to keep things local.

With your coupon this week (July 14-20, 2010), you can get a free 6" Golden Boy quiche when you spend $30 or more. Choose from Lorraine quiche or a spinach quiche.

The quiche, which are precooked, should be kept refrigerated until meal time. They can be eaten cold or warm; if you prefer a warmed quiche, Gary recommends they be warmed at 300-325 for 20-25 minutes and they’ll come out with a deliciously flaky crust. They also microwave well, but the crust isn’t the same as when heated in the oven. Remember not to warm it at a higher temperature as the eggs and cream in quiche don’t do well in high heat.

“Quiche is perfect for entertaining and is a good choice for a brunch dish,” said Nava. “Something published a few years ago that said ‘real men don’t eat quiche,’ but I’m here to say real men do eat quiche! Why not pick up a few to impress the ladies – it’s basically a pie and who wouldn’t want pie for breakfast?”

Remember to print the coupon from the July 14^th e-newsletter to get your free quiche with a purchase of $30 or more. The coupon is valid July 14-20^th.