Over the years, the purpose has become clear. Having the responsibility to preserve and protect food items of unique provenance. In the face of an increasingly homogenized, mass-produced, and genetically engineered agricultural system, continuing to fight for time-tested culinary traditions, for artisan spirit, and for authentic flavor. It’s a passion that was first instilled to Matt Caputo by his yiayia (Greek for grandmother), who kept an urban garden WAY before it was cool to grow your own food.

Those early sensory experiences inspire a question, what is it that gives Old World flavors their particular allure? Calling it terroir. It’s that special sense of place found in the aromas, the textures, and the tastes that says unabashedly: “this comes from somewhere.” Not from a factory, not from a lab, but from the land. It’s the mission to champion those products with deep ties to the unique places they come from, whether it’s Utah farmstead goat cheese or Venezuelan single origin chocolate, because those special products tell the stories of where they come from with every mouth-watering bite.

Food has always been an essential part of the Caputo family. After coming to the United States from Greece and Italy, the Caputos owned and operated a small market on Salt Lake’s west side, home to Utah’s very first refrigerated deli case. His dad Tony’s visits to that little market as a kid, where he would get treats from his aunts who kept shop, served as the original spark of what would eventually become the beloved market & deli.