Most “imported Italian food” you can buy in the US is imported in the loosest possible sense. This Emilia Food Love review is about a store that takes the harder route: Italian specialties selected in Italy and shipped directly from Italy to your door, rather than assembled from whatever a domestic distributor happens to stock.
That distinction changes what ends up in the box, and it also changes who this shop is right for. Here is an honest look at the catalog, the buying philosophy behind it, and the trade-offs worth knowing before you place a first order.
What Emilia Food Love actually sells
The store describes itself simply: a wide selection of authentic Italian gourmet food, savory and sweet products, shipped directly from Italy to the US. In practice the catalog is organized around a handful of pillars rather than trying to be a full Italian supermarket.
- Cheese — anchored by Parmigiano Reggiano DOP aged 72 months, alongside Pecorino, Provolone and other specialty cuts.
- Charcuterie — Capocollo (dry cured Coppa) and ‘Nduja, the Calabrian spicy spreadable salami.
- Pantry — Extra Virgin Olive Oil Toscano IGP, egg tagliatelle, and a range of ready-to-use Datterino tomato sauces.
- Sweets and preserves — Cantucci in four recipes, Nocciomiele acacia honey and hazelnut paste, and artisanal compotes.
- Gift boxes — including a build-your-own option drawn from the entire catalog.
Notice what is not there: no attempt to cover every region, no thousand-item pasta wall. The buying looks curated rather than comprehensive, and the sister brands visible across the catalog — Toscana Food Love supplies the Tuscan oil, tagliatelle and salumi — suggest sourcing organized by region rather than by supplier convenience.
The provenance question, answered with paperwork
Anyone can print the word authentic on a label. What separates a serious importer is whether the products carry protected designations, and several here do.
The Parmigiano Reggiano is DOP, aged 72 months. The olive oil is Toscano IGP and, per the product page, certified by a Control Body authorized by the Competent Ministry in Italy. The Parmigiano Reggiano crackers carry a note that Parmigiano Reggiano is a certification mark for the relevant ingredient, authorized by the Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano.
Those are the kind of unglamorous details that get skipped by stores selling “Italian-style” products. If you have ever bought hard cheese labelled parmesan and wondered why it tasted flat, this is the difference in a sentence.
For context on how imported specialists compare with other online food brands, our roundup of the best craft food and drink brands is a useful cross-reference.
The storytelling, and whether it holds up
Every product page here reads like a short essay, and that is either the charm of the store or its main irritation depending on your mood. The Capocollo page opens by arguing that cured meats are more than delicious foods — they are small treasures, shaped by time, skill and a deep respect for tradition — before noting that in the past, when salt was rare and expensive, knowing how to use it properly was a point of pride and an important family secret.
The cantucci pages do the same, quoting the Accademia della Crusca from the end of the 1600s describing sliced biscuits made with the finest flour, sugar and egg whites. The egg tagliatelle page goes back to a 1487 wedding in Ferrara.
It is worth being clear-eyed about this: history is not a quality guarantee. What makes the storytelling credible here is that it sits alongside checkable specifications — a DOP designation, an IGP certification, a 72-month aging window, a stated 80% fruit content in the compotes with no pectin, colorings or preservatives. Stores that only have the romance tend not to publish the numbers.
Where the catalog is strongest
Three areas stand out.
Aged cheese. The 72-month Parmigiano is the flagship and the store leans hard into its history — an extremely ancient cheese made in the same way at least since the Middle Ages, described in the writing of the great Italian poets of the 14th century, and cited by Giovanni Boccaccio in The Decameron. The storytelling is heavy, but a 72-month aging window is a genuine specification, not a mood.
Charcuterie with a point of view. Capocollo is framed as a product shaped by time, skill and respect for tradition, with a history the store traces back to ancient Rome, when its keeping qualities made it ideal food for soldiers on long journeys. ‘Nduja is the more interesting buy: born in humble kitchens that made the most of every part of the pig, it is spreadable, almost like a delicious spicy butter, and the store suggests using it as a pasta sauce, a pizza topping, or spread over warm bread.
Ready-to-use sauces. This is the quiet strength. The Datterino tomato sauces are made with the finest Italian tomatoes, including red and yellow Datterino, plus extra virgin olive oil and a few carefully selected ingredients, and they require no cooking. The four-jar tasting set covers Chili Pepper, Eggplant and Peppers, Datterino and Capers, and Datterino and Olives.
Honest drawbacks
A fair review has to name the friction, and there is some.
- This is not a weekly grocery shop. Shipping specialty food from Italy to the US is a considered purchase, not a Tuesday restock. Plan orders around occasions or batch them.
- The catalog is deliberately narrow. If you want a specific regional cheese or an obscure pasta shape, the curation that makes the store good will also frustrate you.
- Perishables need planning. Cheese and cured meats are the headline products, so ordering them means being home to receive the box.
- Product pages read as essays. The historical storytelling is charming but you sometimes have to scroll past Boccaccio to reach the practical details.
Who should order from Emilia Food Love
This shop makes sense if you cook Italian food often enough to notice ingredient quality, if you host and want a cheese board that does not need explaining, or if you are buying a gift for someone who already owns every kitchen gadget and would rather receive something they can eat.
It also makes sense as a targeted upgrade. Swapping one supermarket staple — the grating cheese, the olive oil, the jarred sauce — changes more weeknight meals than a new appliance does. Our list of food upgrades that make home cooking feel luxurious works through that idea in detail.
Skip it if you mainly want volume and value on everyday staples, or if you need next-day delivery on a regular basis. And if you are choosing between food gift shops rather than shopping for yourself, our comparison of Seelbach’s and Campo Grande gourmet food gifts covers the alternatives.
You can browse the full range at EMILIA FOOD LOVE.
Emilia Food Love FAQ
Does Emilia Food Love ship from Italy or from a US warehouse?
The store states its products are shipped directly from Italy to the US, and its own description is Italian specialties delivered straight to your home directly from Italy.
Is the Parmigiano real Parmigiano Reggiano?
Yes. It is sold as Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, aged 72 months, and the crackers made with it carry the Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano authorization note.
What is the best first order?
A jar of the Datterino tomato sauce, a wedge of the Parmigiano and a pack of egg tagliatelle covers one excellent dinner and tells you whether the rest of the catalog is for you. Start at the Emilia Food Love store.