Lindsay Marie Morris

Driven by a goal of bringing Sicily's flavors and traditions to every table, Salvatore Pluchino left a career in aerospace to launch Seligo, a Brooklyn-based Sicilian food brand. Specializing in Sicilian-crafted extra virgin olive oil and unrefined pasta and chocolate, he also collaborates with gourmet shops across the U.S. to organize what he calls "pasta-making parties." The majority of these are held in New York's Catskills region. Also in the works: food and wine tours in Sicily.

"Seligo was the answer to my need to stay connected with Sicily and to share the incredible richness of Sicilian culture with others," says Salvatore.

Salvatore shared how he got started, what inspired his unrefined, traditional approach, what goes into product selection, his focus on sustainable sourcing, his plans for the future, and more.

 

 

What is your connection to Sicily?

Sicily is home and family. I am Sicilian. I was born there and spent most of my life there, and I go back whenever possible, always trying to savor different seasons. At some point, I quit my career in aerospace engineering to build a brand that would talk about Sicily and my roots. Everything I do in my life ultimately brings me back to Sicily. It's a bond so strong that it's difficult to explain in a few words, even though I now have a second home and life in New York. I always like to compare Sicily to a benevolent mermaid that attracts me, and I reject it once I get too close. When people ask about my origin, I reply that I'm Sicilian, and people often point out that I say this instead of simply saying I'm Italian. Their curiosity about the clear distinction I always point out has made me reflect deeply on my identity.

 

What inspired you to start Seligo and focus on unrefined, traditional Sicilian foods?

At a certain point in my life, I realized that food was the most effective way to share my vision of Sicily beyond its borders. Starting a brand like Seligo also made me extremely happy and helped me stay loyal to my principles. Culinary traditions are the pillars of the Sicilian lifestyle, and every aspect of life revolves around the family table.

 

The concept of unrefined food emerged when I was immersed in New York's innovative food culture. I was surrounded by many food entrepreneurs who wanted to create something new and revolutionary because there was a sense of betrayal in the food industry in general. My intuition was suggesting that I had to walk on a different path, almost opposite. In that context, I began by looking back on Sicilian gastronomic history and traditional products. 

Unrefined food sounds like an innovation, but in reality, it's just a treasure from our past. At that time, I was lucky enough to find amazing people in Sicily who were already pointing in that direction, making artisanal food products that I started to call "unrefined" because they respect certain criteria. They are not processed but rather gently transformed or minimally processed.

 

 Seligo's unrefined pasta

How do you select the specific ingredients and products featured on Seligo?

Everything starts with meeting the right people—producers committed to their work and prioritizing quality above all else. The meaning of quality is often confusing, but it becomes clear when producers eagerly show the origin of their raw ingredients, especially when they're involved in producing those ingredients themselves. Another key indicator is their knowledge of how their products will affect consumers' health. In that context, it's easy to team up with them and change some details to make a product even more unique and palatable, but always unrefined and traditional. For example, the choice of making the unrefined heirloom Sicilian chocolate in cubes instead of bars was a winning one. The grainy texture and roughness of the bar were making people skeptical. The cube, instead, made the product easier to approach, appreciate, and fun to eat.

 

 

Seligo chocolate cubes

What are the sustainable practices you employ in sourcing and producing products?

Since our inception, I've focused on sustainable practices, beginning by observing and learning from farmers, artisanal cheesemakers, and fishermen who consistently prioritize local, seasonal, and eco-friendly practices. They are the pillars of the Sicilian local food culture, and in some cases, they don't even realize they're following sustainable practices; they're simply following traditional methods in which the customer's appreciation and well-being take precedence over profit.

 

Sicilian food culture helps preserve the region's natural resources and distinctive culinary identity. With Seligo, I'm just following a path that started hundreds of years ago, and I'm learning to preserve more than innovate. Of course, there are products like extra virgin olive oil, whose quality has increased dramatically in the last decade thanks to technological innovations. In that case, brave producers have made huge investments, which has been a game-changer for the small artisanal productions, especially in the southeastern part of Sicily, where Seligo's extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is made.

 

Seligo 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What distinguishes your unrefined chocolate, pasta, and extra virgin olive oil from similar products on the market?

The answer lies in the word "unrefined." This explanation may be somewhat technical, but understanding these details is crucial for making informed choices about the food we decide to eat. 

As I mentioned, in New York, I was surrounded by numerous new food brands whose common priority was manipulating and mixing ingredients, mostly plant extracts, to create something new when, in most cases, nature has already created everything we need. 

For our heirloom pasta, the innovation was actually returning to the time when flour was simply made with ground wheat kernels, and nothing was removed. There was no bleaching and no GMO manipulation of the plants to change the gluten composition. Similarly, with our chocolate, there's no need for refining processes like tempering or additions to stabilize the product. Actually, what the industry has done was to deprive chocolate of an incredible quantity of nutrients that made cacao in the past a superfood. So, I'm giving back to Seligo's heirloom pasta and the unrefined chocolate the name they deserve. They are natural superfoods.

EVOO is somehow a special case. Because it is the ultimate unrefined product: juice extracted from olives at a very low temperature, in which the water has been removed. It's essentially a healthy potion with powerful nutrients concentrated in just a few tablespoons per day. EVOO must be protected from UV light and oxygen, so technological advancement and investment are very important.

 

How do the products offered by Seligo reflect Sicily's cultural and culinary traditions?

Sicilian cuisine is, above all, simple but the result of a complex and long evolution. Few people know Sicily's history as part of powerful kingdoms and empires that shaped the incredible depth of Sicilian culinary culture. Kings demanded that sophisticated cuisine be made with refined ingredients. From there, the common people developed their own humble recipes, often substituting meat with fried vegetables. It's a mixture of recipes originally created for royalty but perfected by the people for the people. In a way, Sicilian people have always found their freedom through food.

 

Salvatore Pluchino prepares pasta for Seligo event guests.
Photo by Joann Arruda.

How do you engage with local communities?

In the past 5 years, I've collaborated on events with wonderful gourmet shops that carry my products. They are scattered all over the U.S., but the majority of them are in New York State, mostly in the Catskills region. There's a strong sense of community there, and these establishments are becoming nodes in a larger network. People rely on them to find local products and trustworthy producers. I've started organizing intimate culinary events to demonstrate simplicity is key to a healthy lifestyle.

 

What are your future plans?

First, we're expanding our product selection. While this could be done quickly, we're taking our time to maintain quality standards. Second, we're developing food and wine tours in Sicily for small groups to showcase aspects that others haven't been able to reveal. I admire people from around the world who show interest in Sicily; we need this attention to promote our resources and boost our small economy. However, it takes a lifetime to understand Sicily and its people, and even then, one might fail to fully recognize the beauty and richness of the culture. I've taken the risk of failing, but I'm committed to this journey of living Sicilian authenticity and sharing it with others. A big help in this direction will come from my brother, who has been successfully promoting a slower way to visit and experience Sicily through bike tourism. In collaboration with his business, Sicily Bike Routes, we will start offering tours in 2025.

 

Seligo hosts food events in New York's Catskills region and beyond.

What experience do you hope customers and event attendees will take away?

I hope people will understand that daily cooking isn't something to delegate to others. It's the first act of self-love, beginning with the knowledge of proper ingredients. We can't rely solely on

the food industry, as it's primarily driven by profit. I know that may offend someone, but in the majority of cases, that is the truth. We must learn to connect with local farmers and artisanal makers, ask them questions, and learn from their perseverance and honesty, especially when the food industry pushes them toward different practices for profit's sake. As we say in Italy, "We have to put our hands in the dough" and make our own food. Through all of Seligo's initiatives, I'm humbly showing people that cooking can be fun and a great way to build new, long-lasting memories, which may be the most important in our lives.

 

 

 

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Oriana Lamarca creates vibrant jewelry, channeling over 100 hues and dozens of motifs inspired by her Sicilian heritage. Her brands, Oriana Lamarca Designs and My Sicilian Love Affair, have together served as a colorful beacon that kept her going even through the lowest points in her health and personal life. 

"My hashtag is #addictedtoarmcandy, and I love to say that my addiction to designing these bracelets and this passion that I have for what I do truly did save my life," says Oriana. "And through it all, I've just had so many amazing experiences."

Oriana shared with me her deep connection with her Sicilian roots and how that shapes her designs, how she got started, her passion for color, how she balances the trendy and the timeless, and more. 

What is your connection to Sicily?

My parents were both born and raised in Sicily. They both came over as teenagers. My mom's from Castellammare del Golfo; we still have the house she was born and raised in, and we recently did some renovations. And so she and I went back and forth.

My dad is from Agrigento, so a little farther south. My grandparents, up until pre-COVID lived there from September to June. So, growing up, I always would spend a couple weeks at a time staying with them and spending time in Sicily. I have beautiful memories of that and continuing the Sicilian traditions through everything we do, including holidays and food.

 

What role does your Sicilian heritage play in your designs?

Pretty much everything revolves around that. I have another website dedicated to my love for Sicily, which is called MySicilianLoveAffair.com. And there's also an Instagram attached to it. My Sicilian heritage is the basis of everything I do and design and my storytelling.

 

I was actually married. I got married in Taormina, Sicily, in 2014, when social media started to kick off. So people saw that I was going back so often, and I found myself planning trips for people every summer. And I said to myself, "I need a reference point to be able to send these people so I don't have to just keep repeating myself." So that's kind of how the idea for My Sicilian Love Affair was born, as a reference point for everything from where to go, where to stay, what to eat, traditions, travel, and fashion.

 

That ties into Oriana Lamarca Designs. I'm designing my collections and storytelling and translating my life experiences, values, and roots, all through my designs and creations. I have a My Sicilian Love Affair collection in which I incorporate pieces of ceramics handmade in Sicily. The ceramics I've selected highlight Sicilian culture, whether it's the cassata cake, a traditional Sicilian dessert, or the carretto Siciliano, the wheel of the cart. I have teste di moro, of which there's a male and a female. It's a traditional Sicilian legend. And so I've utilized these ceramics to highlight little bits and pieces of our culture and all the stories that go along with it. 

 

How did you start Oriana Lamarca Designs?

My parents have a tile and stone design center, so I grew up working for them. I went to college, graduated, and decided to stay and help them. I was designing kitchens and bathrooms and working with stones, but I always loved fashion a little bit more. My grandmother was a seamstress for Ralph Lauren and Halston, so it kind of runs in my veins.

I would go to work for my parents during the day, and at night, I would go shopping. I came across these beaded bracelets and thought, "I'm not going to spend a hundred dollars on one. I can make it for myself." So, I started ordering beads. I taught myself how to tie the knot.

 

I started selling to friends and family from 2013 to 2014. I took a break because I had planned a wedding overseas. Once I got back, six months after I was married, I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. And so I was home for three months. During that time, I built my website and solidified the concept for the collections and the idea for the brand. Once I got better and started going out again, I did a lot of pop-up shops, like home shopping parties.

 

The website was picking up a little traction. In January 2016, I decided to leave work for my parents to pursue this full-time job for about three years. It was kind of still just a thing that was keeping me busy. I was growing this brand, which I love, but at the same time, I was a wife, and I thought I'd be starting a family. And so it wasn't as serious, I'll say, as it is now.

In 2019, I went through a divorce right before COVID. Again, at this low point in my life, my business gave me the strength and focus to pull through, and I dedicated every second of my life to making it work and bringing it to where it is today.

Color plays a huge role in your work. Share with us the story behind the various shades.

I love color. Actually, that stems from both my mother and working at the tile store, where my mother is one to have always really worn a lot of black and just beige and neutral colors, as well as designing kitchens and bathrooms. Everybody wanted just neutral colors, and I just loved color.

Color plays a huge role in our everyday life, mood, confidence, and so much else. With these bracelets, the idea was to effortlessly add color to your outfit, whether you're wearing all black but want to add a pop of color without it being too much or you don't want to wear a strong-colored top. You can add a little bit of color with your accessories—not just the bracelets, but the earrings, the necklaces, and the bags to complement the entire look.

 

At this point, I have over a hundred different colored gemstones, which allow people to mix and match and create their own "arm party," as I like to call it, to compliment your outfit or add color. I like to wear a lot of color, so I will often compliment all the colors I'm wearing and kind of wrap that all up in one little storyboard in my arm party. Or if I'm wearing just my classic Sicilian black lace go-to type of outfit, I'll accessorize with colorful bracelets to give it a pop of color and fun.

 

When I started with six or seven signature collections, each of which was created during the time that I was sick, my brain organized the colors together into six collections inspired by different destinations I had traveled to.

 

So I live in New York, which has more of an edgier vibe with metallics, white, and black. Everybody wears black in New York. The Miami collection has a lot of brighter colors, like the neons—the lime green and the bright magenta pink, which reminds me of Miami Vice. The Greek collection was inspired by my honeymoon. I had been to Greece, and there were a lot of white houses, blue roofs, and blue water in the Mediterranean. So that was what inspired that collection. But basically, I organized the colors—over a hundred of them—through these signature collections, through the culture of that destination I had been to.

 

How do you source the materials and stones for your collections?

I do a lot of research online. I order from all over the world. The ceramics are made in Sicily. A lot of the beads come from India, some from Greece. My suppliers are based in the U.S., but it depends on where the stones originate. But that's as far as the beads.

 

As far as the other products, a lot of the collection I'm now moving more toward is made in Italy. We just got a new collection called the Gaia bag, a beautiful leather bag made in Tuscany. A lot of our other bags are made in Florence or Italy. Also, the beaded bags are made in India. I pay attention to where I'm sourcing my material and make sure I give my client a product that is not only affordable but quality as well. We make our bracelets in-house in my studio in New Jersey.

How do you balance creating trendy pieces with maintaining a timeless appeal?

A lot of the collections that I've developed, aside from the signature collections, are collections that I like to tell a story through to represent something. These trendier pieces may have a little more of a timeline to them, but I like to incorporate the classic pieces that I use throughout the signature collections, even when designing the trendier collections. Because color is so important in what I do, even when sourcing the charms, I want people to be able to mix and match the bracelets without any reservations. That's why the focus of the bracelet is on the color. So the charm doesn't hinder whether you can pair it with another bracelet or not. It's really just the color of the stone that will stand out.

 

But then I do have another collection called the Expressions Collection, in which there are over a hundred charms that are more specific to a theme or a way to express yourself with something you like. For example, I have a lipstick charm if you're in the beauty industry. Or if you're a hairdresser, I have a pair of scissors charm. So that's where I focus more on the charms. But as far as the other collections I design are concerned, I always try to portray style, class, and elegance through whatever I'm designing.

 

What are your future plans?

One of them, which is coming into fruition in 2025, is focusing more on bridging the gap between Sicily and New York and some travel planning, which I started through my other website, My Sicilian Love Affair, and sourcing products that are not just made in Italy, but also more specifically in Sicily. Because Sicily is such a rich island of culture, we have so many stories to tell and beautiful products to choose from. One product that was just brought to my attention is from a woman who designed a collection of bags using prickly pear leaves, which is really innovative and different. And so I want to bring all of these unique pieces Sicily has to offer here stateside. Along with the bracelets and the jewelry, it is a lifestyle brand, so I'm incorporating more food, travel, and fashion altogether. 

 

What do you hope your customers take away?

I want my customers to feel fashionable, confident, part of a community, and just good when they wear these bracelets and know that they are wearing a bracelet that has a purpose, a bracelet that represents them, and a bracelet that, for the woman who doesn't feel like getting decked out head to toe daily, she can throw this on and feel like she has a fashionable look effortlessly.

I have a collection called Armcandy for a Cause. It's the philanthropic side of what I do, which I started about 10 years ago. I design a bracelet dedicated to a certain organization. I design the color and the charm to represent that organization, and then I donate the proceeds back to that organization. So, through all of it, we're also making a difference together and helping our community. 

 

 

 

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