Most everyone is familiar with the phrase, “you don’t want to know how the sausage is made.” But that doesn’t necessarily apply to toppings such as giardiniera, the quintessential Chicago mélange that adorns a well-dressed beef/sausage combo. For more than a century, Marconi Foods, a family-owned purveyor in Des Plaines, has been making that giardiniera, and recently opened up its factory doors to show just how it’s done.
“Pickles, carrots, celery, cauliflower and peppers — that’s it,” said Jeff Johnson, 44, president and fourth-generation scion of V. Formusa, the parent company of Marconi. “We’re just mixing and repacking. It’s a simple process.” Derived from the Italian word for garden, Chicago-style giardiniera is a veggie medley cured in vinegar and packed in oil, with a satisfyingly crunchy flavor profile ranging from briny to tangy to hot.
