[saws] [snob] One who thinks that their sauce and Noni’s sauce(s) are the best and have contempt for those he considers inferior. The Arnoni & Soriano families understand and accept the noted sauce snobs and actually welcome them.

Crispino “Jun” Soriano and Susan Arnoni-Soriano opened Café Soriano in 2003. We originally were only open for breakfast and lunch. As our popularity grew within the community, so did our clientele. We made the decision to open for dinner because we wanted to offer more menu items to our customers and we knew we had great tasting food. Living and working in a predominantly Italian area, we knew our sauce had to be great. At this time I called my Mom and asked for my Great Grandmother’s sauce recipe. I told my mother that I wanted the Café to smell like our house did on Sundays when she would make pasta sauce.

Our business has improved greatly just by word of mouth. We sell the sauce at the Café and at local markets. Customers tell us that they can’t believe they are buying jarred sauce. Some even ask, “how did you get my grandmother’s sauce recipe?” Our sauce tastes like homemade that my family and their families can’t even tell the difference.

Both Jun and I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen. As we were making other house dressings and our love of Thai food, we thought we would “try” to create a Thai style salad dressing. After many fails, we finally did it! Once we got the recipe and consistency down, we added a new salad to our lunch menu, specifically just to use the spicy Thai Peanut Dressing. Per our customers’ request and love of the dressing this was the next product created by The Sauce Snob.

Initially, The Sauce Snob was meant for our pasta sauce. But we feel the name will encompass all of our products because even the most persnickety will enjoy.

Read the article: Eclectic ethnic influences put the flavor in Café Soriano's dishes