EXCLUSIVE: Jamming at the Jewel-Osco Deli With Food Network’s Jeff Mauro
“I just came here from school drop-off and didn’t expect my grocery trip to be so exciting.”
That was one reaction from a shopper passing through the produce and deli sections at a Jewel-Osco store in River Forest, Ill., a few miles west of Chicago. On Feb. 6, chef, cookbook author, food entrepreneur and Food Network star Jeff Mauro hosted an in-store concert with his band, The Jewel Bags, to promote the Mauro Provisions product line that includes three varieties of giardiniera and a pepper relish sold at Jewel-Osco stores.
“This is my Jewel. I live maybe five blocks away,” said Mauro, host of Food Network’s “The Kitchen” and the “Come on Over” podcast. “I come into this Jewel, my brother worked at this Jewel as a bagger, and then as a checkout person. It’s great to be here.”
Yes, Mauro told Progressive Grocer, the supermarket chain owned by Albertsons Cos. was the inspiration for the name of the band comprised of some friends and fellow dads from the neighborhood who have bene jamming together for about five years. “Growing up, it was like every bag was a Jewel bag,” he said with a laugh. “If it was plastic bag and if you needed something to put your lunch in, it was ‘Go get a Jewel bag under the sink.’ I love being a lifelong Chicagoan and it’s an homage to that.”
Mauro and The Jewel Bags – which also includes his sister and Mauro Provisions communications director, Emily Mauro – played for nearly two hours during the event, which was covered by Chicago’s WGN Morning News and its “Around Town” team. In addition to changing up some of the lyrics to include “Jewel,” Mauro touted the giardiniera and products that were displayed nearby and available for sampling by store visitors.
“It’s been a journey to get to a big grocery store like this. My team did great, building these display units, putting them on pallets and getting them to 126 stores,” he pointed out.
The products are labor of love for Mauro. “I guarantee you it is the best giardiniera you will ever have. I built it from the ground up. It’s not just normal formula you slap a label on. It really has developed with time, and I love it,” he said.
In addition to the three giardiniera flavors and the Honey G pepper relish, Mauro Provisions offers other products, including seasonings like Black Powder Rub, BBQ Chip Dust and Giardiniera Rub and proteins such as a Supreme Gril Box and Super Slider Kit.
As of Nov. 30, Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operated 2,273 retail stores with 1,732 pharmacies in 34 states, 405 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The company has stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 banners, including Jewel-Osco. Albertsons is No. 9 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century
