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Sabatino Tartufi is well known for being a family-owned truffle company focused on bringing their love of truffles to the world. For 110 years, Sabatino Tartufi has been the truffle supplier of choice for the world’s best chefs.

With this being the season of the much sought after fresh White Truffle and Black Truffle, and so many questions about supply and application ideas, CW Magazine went straight to the source. Read on for everything you need to know now about Sabatino Tartufi truffles and truffle products for your glorious winter holiday menus.

Please share the Sabatino family business story. How did it all start and how has it maintained its level of success and unity all of these years?

Sabatino Tartufi started in 1911 when Sabatino Balestra and his wife Giuseppina opened their first store in the heart of Umbria, Italy and began distributing specialty food products. One of those specialty products was locally-grown truffles that grew naturally on their land.

How specifically are Sabatino truffles sourced?

The vast majority of our truffles come directly from Italy, many of which grow naturally in our own estate forests. In order to meet the global demand for truffles, we also source from other regions of Italy, France, and Spain. When sourcing truffles outside of what can be found on our land, quality is always first. We have built a reputation for being uncompromising when it comes to the quality of the truffles we source.

What should chefs know about Sabatino Truffles this season?

This holiday season may be one of the most challenging seasons for white truffles on record. Because of drought conditions and warmer temperatures in Italy, there are a limited number of truffles available, especially white truffles, the most prized and prestigious species. Our customers choose us because we stand behind our products 100%. We always focus on bringing the best quality, all-natural products to market, because that’s what our customers expect from us. There may be less expensive products on the market, but very few can compete with us in terms of quality and value. What we offer is better quality truffles and more authentic truffle products at fair prices.

Everyone’s dreaming of a White Truffle Christmas / Holiday Season. Will there be enough to go around?

This is a tough one. We hope there will be more white truffles harvested this season, but Mother Nature can be fickle. You can trust that if there are white truffles available, Sabatino Tartufi will do everything in our power to get them to our customers.

Please share a fact about truffles that most chefs do not know.

Most chefs don’t know that while all truffles grow sporadically, black truffles are cultivated and can be grown on truffle plantations, like on our estate in Italy. We take great care at Sabatino to inoculate and nurture each new sapling we plant on our estate, but that’s no guarantee that truffles will grow. Meanwhile, white truffles cannot be cultivated, which increases their cost because they are more difficult to find.

Can black truffles replace white truffles in a recipe?

Black winter truffles can absolutely be substituted for white truffles, however, the flavors and aromatic profile of the dish will change slightly due to the richer, earthier flavors of black winter truffles, as opposed to the more focused, complex and nuanced flavors of white truffles.

2021 has been the year of supply challenges. Can you speak to the challenges Sabatino Tartufi is overcoming?

The global pandemic and supply chain constraints that are prevalent throughout the world have certainly affected Sabatino Tartufi because we are a global company. Supply chain issues have made it more difficult for us to source some of the materials we use to package and produce our truffle products. However, because we are vertically integrated, and produce many of our products here in the United States, we have been able to avoid many of the issues other food companies may have faced.

Please share a few innovative applications for utilizing Sabatino Truffles and Truffle ingredients.

Right now we are seeing truffles used across a wide range of cuisines that we never thought possible. As today’s chefs continue to innovate and find new ways to cook and prepare dishes, the creativity with which they incorporate our truffles and truffle products is mind-blowing. We are seeing our products used in tacos, ramen bowls, poke bowls, baos, sushi and sashimi, as well as on chicken wings and fried chicken.

Everyone deserves to celebrate this year more than ever before. Is there a Sabatino Truffle Cocktail we can share with our chefs and bar directors?

One of the products chefs and bar directors have gravitated towards over the last few years is our truffle honey, because it adds an earthy element to cocktails. It shines alongside Bourbon in our Truffle Gold Rush cocktail where we use it in place of simple syrup to create a new twist on a classic cocktail. You can check the recipe out on our website: SabatinoTartufi.com