Rocco DiSpirito Joins Bertolli to Inspire Home Cooks With Simple, Flavorful Ideas for Making Mediterranean Meals

    ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Bertolli, a brand known
 for its Italian origins of culinary craftsmanship and trademark values of
 guaranteed quality, consistency and authenticity is partnering with
 celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito to empower the home cook with ideas for
 making restaurant-quality Mediterranean-inspired dinners at home - the
 simple and accessible way.
     With its new line of Mediterranean Style pasta dishes, Bertolli wants
 to inspire people to reconnect with loved ones over a simply delicious,
 lighter- tasting Italian dinner at home. According to DiSpirito, "Food is
 meant to be enjoyed and shared; to comfort, nourish and delight us - it's
 an interpersonal connector. Bertolli really 'gets it,' by helping empower
 the home cook with easy-to-prepare dinners that are fresh-tasting even
 though they're frozen. These meals are so quick and easy there's more time
 to spend enjoying the meal with someone - rather than making it!"
     Prepared with ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and wholesome
 sun- ripened vegetables, succulent shrimp or chicken, each Bertolli
 Mediterranean Style variety captures the essence of cuisine from the
 sun-kissed coast of Southern Italy. Bertolli Mediterranean Style(TM) comes
 in four chef-inspired varieties: Chicken, Rigatoni & Broccoli; Rosemary
 Chicken Linguine & Cherry Tomatoes; Garlic Shrimp, Penne & Cherry Tomatoes;
 and Shrimp & Penne Primavera.
     As part of the launch of its Mediterranean Style line, Bertolli and
 DiSpirito are inviting food lovers to enter a contest to win a chance to
 co- host an online cooking show with him. By submitting a video
 demonstrating "why you would make a great co-host" and "what Mediterranean
 Style means to you", a lucky winner will be able to show off his or her
 skills cooking alongside DiSpirito.
     The centerpiece of the online site will be cooking webisodes where
 DiSpirito gives tips on how to easily make great Mediterranean dishes,
 while weaving in personal anecdotes from his life. Some of his tips include
 how to use "flavor detonators" - like herbs, pastes and jarred items like
 marinated artichokes - simple and delicious ways to pump up flavor without
 adding a lot of fat or calories to a Mediterranean meal. He also recommends
 ways to save time with pre-made ingredients like garlic puree in a tube.
 DiSpirito's main message is that making great-tasting food does not need to
 be intimidating, complicated or preparation-intensive - it can be done
 easily and quickly so that you can enjoy what really matters: the company.
 On the web site, DiSpirito will also be hosting a blog, which will build
 off of his webisode topics and highlight simple recipes that can be made
 easily at home. Contest information, DiSpirito's webisodes and blog, are
 found on www.whatsyourmedstyle.com.
     In 1999, DiSpirito was named Food & Wine's Best New Chef, and in 2000,
 Gourmet magazine called him "America's Most Exciting Young Chef." He also
 authored three top selling cookbooks and sells his own cook wear line. His
 upcoming book, entitled "Real Life Recipes," is due out in November 2007.
     "By dedicating his efforts and activities toward empowering the home
 cook, DiSpirito is the perfect partner for Bertolli," said Brian Manning,
 Senior Marketing Director at Unilever. "With his great ideas and passion
 for Mediterranean cuisine, he truly inspires you to want to cook."
     About Unilever
     Unilever (NYSE:   UL, UN), one of the world's largest consumer products
 companies, aims to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for
 nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Each day, around the world, consumers
 make 150 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. The company has a
 portfolio of brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out
 of life.
     In the United States these brands include recognized names such as:
 Axe, "all," Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock,
 Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle,
 Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline.
 All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever
 Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities
 where we live, work and play, Unilever in the United States employs
 approximately 13,000 people in more than 60 office and manufacturing sites
 in 24 states and Puerto Rico - generating nearly $10 billion in sales in
 2006. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.
 
 

SOURCE Bertolli