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

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

Cooking Demo Webisodes Launch Bertolli's New Mediterranean Style Frozen Dinners - Naturally Lighter-Tasting Cuisine of the Southern Italian Coast Ready in Less Than 10 Minutes

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) (NYSE: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.

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Source: Bertolli

CONTACT: Gina DeCandia of Ogilvy PR Worldwide, +1-212-880-5317,
gina.decandia@ogilvypr.com

Web site: http://www.whatsyourmedstyle.com/
http://www.unileverusa.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment