Stanislaus Pizza Sauce in Chicago?

I'm looking for a retail location in Chicago (north side) that sells Stanislaus Pizza Sauce.

I'm on a wheat/gluten free diet, which requires that I make my own pizza at home. This was working out great after I stumbled onto the Stanislaus Full Red Prepared Pizza Sauce at the local Costco. Unforetunately, Costco no longer stocks this and I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

Checking their website, they do not sell retail. You may want to call Restaurant Depot to see if they have it. If they do and you have a resale number, then you can buy it and tax yourself later. If not, ask a friend in the restaurant business.

We think of our restaurateur customers as extended "family" and would love to hear from you! Our Old World preference is to speak to you person to person!

We invite you to call us with your questions and comments at:

(800) 327-7201

Office hours: Monday - Friday, 6:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time

Reminder: Our products are available to restaurants only through foodservice distributors throughout the United States and Canada. (We do not sell on a "direct basis.")

Stanislaus Food Products
The "Real Italian" Tomato Company
1202 D Street
Modesto, CA 95354
(800) 327-7201
freshpacktomato@stanislaus.com

Regards,

Hi Cathy,

Thanks for your response. I'd already visited the Stanislaus website and learned that they sold exclusively wholesale. My apologies for not being more clear about it. I was hoping members here might know of a way around that little inconvenience. Speaking of; I'm not familiar with the concept of a resale number that allows me to presumable buy wholesale and tax myself later. Is this an IRS tax id for people who have their own business? Or is it something else that is available to the average retail joe such as myself?

Thanks again for your response.

Griff,

You don't need or want one if you are not engaged in commerce. It is issued to businesses by the Illinois Department of Revenue.

If you do the leg work of finding where it is sold through, either a distributor or through Restaurant Depot then you are in a better position to get someone to help you. While Stanislaus may not sell to you directly, their distributor might or have a customer who sells retail who will. It may mean taking a commercial can, then dividing it into smaller quantities to freeze.

Or you can make your own sauce. There is an ongoing thread on homemade pizzas with discussion on pizza sauce as well as pizzas dressed without any tomato sauce.

Regards,

Valli Produce in Glendale Hgts. has Full Red Pizza Sauce(#10 Cans) in the produce section on shelf under fresh produce.
Jim

Griff, this is just my opinion and I don't know your situation, if you like to cook, or what you've already tried, so ignore any and everything I am going to write if it doesn't pertain to you, lol.

Before I offer it, though, let me digress and say that there are a few of us here who are all gluten free (at least two because of celiac). If you ever want help with baking or cooking, just post. We'll be glad to help.

Now, on to pizza and sauce. My husband is Italian and has celiac. I had to figure out pizza and quickly! But, canned and jarred sauces didn't work well for us - often too salty, often with off tastes.

Option 1: IF you don't mind doing some cooking, you can make and freeze a pizza sauce that is heavenly and ready anytime you want pizza. Now, you may prefer the convenience of jarred/canned, so ignore. BUT, if you don't mind a bit of work on a Sunday, you can have LOTs of sauce ready whenever you want it.

I make a very simple red sauce - as his mother leaned in Calabria, Italy: Italian tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, part of a fennel bulb cut into largish pieces (I remove after cooking), salt, lots of basil (whole leaves - I remove after it's done), a bit of sugar (his mom uses a LOT, but I prefer it less sweet), and some tomato paste. That's it. She removes the seeds, I do not. We both put canned tomatoes (some are MUCH better than others - but it depends on what you're looking for in taste) through the food processor, cook the garlic in a couple tablespoons of oil just until fragrant, then added the remaining ingredients, and cook down. My brother-in-law does the same but adds onions and peppers.

Before freezing in individual containers, I take a couple of containers, add some more tomato paste, and I've got delicious fresh-tasting sauce. I freeze it, just as I do the sauce. When I want pizza (or pasta), I just remove the amount I want and thaw in the microwave. Always on hand, always fresh and delicious. I do add extra spices to the top of the sauce most of the time, but tend not to freeze it with them.

Option 2: IF there is a jarred pasta sauce you like (and many if not most are GF), you can turn it into pizza sauce in one minute. Just open a can of tomato paste and add a couple of tablespoons of it. It will thicken it so it's not too thin. If you want, add a few more spices. If you have extra paste, put "plops" of it on waxed paper and freeze; when frozen solid, throw into a zip plastic bag and remove when needed.

Option 3: Not related to sauce, but if you want/need a few pizza dough recipes, let us know. Veloute makes one an exceptionally easy way that she makes as a very thin cracker crust but can be a bit thicker and chewy if you don't cook it as long. I have two different recipes that aren't too much work, but it's harder than what Veloute does. One can be either crispy-cracker like or chewy like Veloute's; the other one is like a NY pizza crust - completely fold-able, thin but not cracker like, and a bit chewy. I also have a couple thick crust recipes that are good, but we don't prefer that so I don't make them often.

Dear Views, I appreciate your going to the trouble to write up the detailed advice on pizza sauce. I've saved it for later reference. Becoming a competent at-home pizza maker is one of my resolutions for this year. So far still working on basic dough technique, but I hope by July to be ready to start working on improving my skills with ingredients.

I make a very simple red sauce - as his mother leaned in Calabria, Italy: Italian tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, part of a fennel bulb cut into largish pieces (I remove after cooking), salt, lots of basil (whole leaves - I remove after it's done), a bit of sugar (his mom uses a LOT, but I prefer it less sweet), and some tomato paste. That's it. She removes the seeds, I do not. We both put canned tomatoes (some are MUCH better than others - but it depends on what you're looking for in taste) through the food processor, cook the garlic in a couple tablespoons of oil just until fragrant, then added the remaining ingredients, and cook down.

Even simpler - saute a couple of cloves of chopped garlic and about half a small chopped onion in some olive oil until soft. Add 2 large cans ground or crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen) and a dollop of tomato paste, and some fresh basil. Simmer until thickened. Taste, and if too acid, add a little sugar. Done.

Some other additions can be red pepper flakes and fennel seed.

I fill 1 quart sandwich bags about half full and lie them flat on a sheet pan to freeze, which makes stacking them easier in the freezer.

For pizza, I will add oregano when spreading the sauce on the pie.

I haven't bought a jarred sauce in years.

More good advice. Thank you, rickster.

Wow, lots of great responses.

JimmyB,

I live in the city (Lincoln Square area), but will be passing through Glendale Heights Sunday on my way to the golf course. I intend to stop into Valli Produce for the Full Red. Thanks for the heads-up.

Views,

I am celiac and cook often. I’m not a real great cook, but I’m always looking for new ideas, techniques and overall improvement. Thank you very much for the sauce recipe and the offer of future assistance. I intend to take you up on it. Specifically, I’m still looking for a good French bread recipe. I don’t care much for any of the gluten free breads that I have baked or purchased. I’d love to know if you’ve found something you like.

I normally make my own meals from scratch, but I can’t ignore the convenience and quality of the Stanislaus sauce. It's very good and better than anything I’ve been able to make. I will give your sauce recipe a whirl though.

I also prefer a thin crust pizza and have adapted Pat’s Thin Yeast Crust recipe (Pat Garst “Gluten-Free Cooking") into a crispy crust that I really enjoy. I’ll be happy to share it with you, Veloute or any other gluten free cooks who are interested.

Rickster,

Thanks for the idea of freezing sauce in sandwich bags. I’ve been using Tupperware or other plastic containers, but your idea seems ideally suited to a quick thaw single serving approach. I love it, although my wife will complain the moment she sees a cookie sheet in the freezer.

Thanks to every body. The original post on this thread is my first on this forum and I’m already happy I found this place.

Griff

Griff, if you want other GF info, send me a PM and your email address. Mr Views sends out alerts of new products, new restaurants that have GF menus, and the like. He emails about 500 other celiacs in the Chicago area.

Also, we know a few people that organize GF dining events; if you're interested in participating, PM me there, too.

I'm not familiar with the crust recipe you mentioned; I'd love to see it. I'll post the pizza recipes I use in another thread.

Per convenience, no question that we, as GF cooks, are in need of some convenience! It sounds like this sauce tastes very good to you, so no need to try something else. I tend to dislike every canned/jarred sauce I've tried, so I had to learn how to make something I'd eat. The recipes I and Rickster posted are very similar in that they are about the tomatoes, not about the other stuff. The garlic and basil (and fennel if you use it) supplement and meld, they do not override, they are subtle. We often joke that we could eat our sauce as tomato soup. If you prefer bolder tastes, saltier tastes, you may find you need to add much more salt and other spices.

Per the zip bags, this also works great for things like stock or soups. Since I prefer not throwing away so may bags, I've started freezing things in a rectangular plastic container that holds two servings, then popping it out once frozen, wrapping it in plastic, then in foil. I don't have to keep a gazillion containers in the freezer, I can stack them, and I don't waste the plastic.

Per the GF bread....it takes getting used to. French bread is....not really possible. I can make one that sort of approximates it, but it's not French bread as you think of it. I'll post a recipe for that, too. I tend to make my own breads to try and get a lot more fiber in them, as that's an area celiacs can easily have problems. When I don't have time, DH's favorite is the mix by Pamela's. It's more like a whole wheat, it stays together, and it had a reasonable flavor and texture.