Nice Package

Lately I've been trying to recreate a certain gazpacho. I ate it on a trip through Spain several years ago and it was not at all like the chopped vegetable Moosewood version I was accustomed to. This one was more pink than red due to the day old bread blended with the fresh tomatoes. It had an incredibly rich and smooth flavor, vibrant and fruity with an astringent hit of sherry. I decided to try a new recipe last night and to serve it with a Cobb salad and a pear clafouti.


Gazpacho made in the Andalucian style. Image from Gourmet magazine.

I ran to the store for some olive oil and sherry vinegar. Sitting among the traditional and bland packages on the shelves, something caught my eye: a black and white photo of a man laughing. It was the label for Via Roma olive oil. I looked around and found another photo on their balsamic vinegar, this time with an older woman—the iconic Italian nonna—sitting in a small village somewhere.


The Via Roma olive oil in my kitchen.

When I got home I searched The Dieline, one of my favorite sites for label design. And there it was: a post on Via Roma.



(My favorite is the lady chugging from the wine bottle.)

The packaging was developed by the irreverent design firm United.
Screen shot from the homepage of United.




Photo from the Via Roma campaign.

I discovered that United is also responsible for another brand I've noticed lately, the organic Greenway products that are sold at my local Superfresh.







Turns out the packaging was better than the gazpacho. I'm still on the hunt for the right recipe...