Thanks to Publix, I feel seen. Store sells Tutto Pugliese bread with my 'rare' Italian last name
I've always liked my last name.
Sure, it was consistently butchered by teachers on the first day of school. There are different ways to spell it − sorry, it's with an ESE at the end. Then, there are the obvious questions like, "Is that Italian?"
I especially appreciate the ethnicity of it. It's not a common surname, at least in the United States. My dad used to play a game when we went on long road trips back in the day. We would check into our hotel/motel and the first thing he would do was to flip open the telephone book (yes kiddies, this was when land lines ruled the world) and see if there were any other people with the same last name and same spelling living in that city. Unless we were in New York, Chicago or San Francisco, there were very few and the one or two we found in other locations usually spelled it differently.
It's certainly a name you don't hear in movies, on television or even via music, although "Dominique" (a variation of my first name) was a hit back in the '60s by "The Singing Nun."
My last name made it into one of Tim Dorsey's novels ("Coconut Cowboy"). But I have to say when someone told me, I was concerned and went out and bought the book right away. Would the Pugliese character be one of Serge's victims (meaning, of course, that he was a bad person and would not end up well)? I had to think back to when Tim and I worked in The Tampa Tribune newsroom and wondered if I ever made him angry.
Spoiler alert: The Pugliese in the book ends up being a good guy. Thanks, Tim!
That is why I was shocked when I strolled into my neighborhood Publix recently and saw my last name prominently displayed in the bakery. It even had its own stand.
Tutto Pugliese.
I always liked Publix − where else can I weigh myself? − but they have now turned me into a quasi celebrity.
Cashier: "Hey, you the guy who makes the Tutto Pugliese bread?"
Neighbor: "You get that Pugliese bread for free?"
Co-worker: "Now that you have your own bread, you going to retire?"
Answers: No, No and No.
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Like any good reporter, I did some research. According to the Publix website, "Tutto bread is made exclusively from durum wheat semolina flour and certified sourdough flour, typically used to make pasta. It’s grown and milled in Italy and then processed in Belgium. Tutto bread has a distinct taste of its own with its roasted nutty flavor. While all bread at Publix is crafted with love, Tutto bread takes it up a notch. Publix bakers have been training for months to produce the loaf, which is made daily and sold in paper bags."
Facts about Tutto Pugliese bread at Publix in Florida
Some other key facts about my bread:
Each loaf is shaped by hand.
Preparing the dough takes 3 hours, and it’s put in the cooler to chill for the night.
Besides the basic Pugliese bread, there are cheese medley varieties available daily and occasionally a Tutto Onion Asiago. They promise there are more flavors to come.
Best news of all on the website: "Pub subs can be made with a fresh slice of Tutto Pugliese."
Tutto Pugliese bread has been on the Publix shelves since May. It must be getting into more stores because I'm suddenly hearing from my cousins and friends who live in other parts of the state.
This isn't the first time a Pugliese food item has been spotted in public. In Italy and some other locales in Europe, you can find Pugliese pizza, Pugliese pasta and other Pugliese dishes on the menu. There even is a Pugliese wine. It's on the dry side, a little fruity and not bad. But it's not produced by Pugliese Vineyards in Cutchogue, N.Y.
Hey, maybe my last name actually is not that uncommon. But now that we are big at Publix, shopping really will be a pleasure.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tutto Pugliese Bread a big hit at Publix supermarkets in Florida
