Harlem Green Foods Festival

June 21, Marcus Garvey Park, New York – As we made our way through the already bustling Marcus Garvey Park and to our allotted space in the Green Foods Festival, we were welcomed by the sound of a trumpet whose rhythmic beats seemed to resonate with the mixed crowds of protestors, vendors, park goers, and children. We found our spot, abut to the children’s playground, and set up camp.

When Whole Foods had selected our product, PistachiOats®, to be featured at the Green Foods Festival, we were honored to be a part of such an important movement. The Green Foods Organization, like Sano Villa, is about supporting healthy living by educating people on the means to leading a healthy life. Aside from the dozen or so healthy food vendors that dotted the northern pathway of the Marcus Garvey Park, visitors had access to free Tai chi lessons in the park and were provided with a variety of literature on healthy living. It was a very supportive and welcoming environment, which is something the Harlem neighborhood is in search of. As we handed out snacks and informed visitors that our product is available at Whole Foods, a number of them responded with elation – “I love Whole Foods! I’m always there!” Unfortunately, many of our visitors wished a Whole Foods was in their area so that they could implement and sustain a healthier way of living.

The event was to last from 12-6pm. We set up our booth at 11:30am and immediately had people come up to us, interested in learning more about PistachiOats®. The response was so overwhelming that we handed out over 500 snack packs and coupons by only 3pm, which was the reason for our early departure (for all of you who just missed us!). We also had a small raffle in play for a free iPod shuffle. All one had to do was sign-in at our booth with their name or email address. We received hundreds of entries and will have our drawing at the end of July; the winner will be announced in our August 1 newsletter.

While the iPod was an incentive for some, the unique appeal of our product intrigued most. Many health-conscious people were excited to know about an all-natural cookie that was not only low in sugar, but also made with the very popular pistachio nut. We had dozens of people return to our booth complimenting our success on the great taste of PistachiOats®, especially kids! One young man, Sharif of Harlem (11 years old), came back to our booth asking for more, saying, “These are really good!”

Thanks to the Green Foods Organization, Whole Foods, and the awesome Harlem Community! We had a wonderful time sharing our special cookie with you all!

Introducing Jeffrey and Grandpa at the NY NASFT Food Show

Shortly after our debut at the Spring Fancy Food Show in Chicago last April, Sano Villa was inducted into the National Association of Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) as Exhibiting Members. As Members, we have been given the opportunity to participate in all future NASFT food shows. Much work is to be done in preparation for NASFT’s largest show this June at the New York City Jacob K. Javits Center. There are cookies to be baked, brochures to be printed, posters to be created; which are just a few of the tasks Sano Villa must fulfill in preparation for our next show.

PistachiOats® will be displayed in the Natural & Organic Pavilion on the 4th floor Booth #6158 and will also be displayed in a special “Focus on Diversity Showcase” booth which is featured in the “What’s New, What’s Hot” area.

At the show, Sano Villa will introduce its son, Jeffrey Winthrop (21), to the business. He will be responsible for manning the PistachiOats® booth while the rest of the team attends meetings, seminars, and interacts with prospective contacts. And there is a lot to manage for our newest member, as the New York NASFT Show is the biggest of its trade shows. The three-day Fancy Food Show will host over 180,000 specialty foods from all around the world to more than 20,000 attendees.

Sano Villa will also introduce its grandfather, Joseph Hajjar, widow to the late Mary Hajjar, the source and inspiration of Sano Villa’s foods. At 78 years of age, this will be Joseph’s first time in the Big Apple. A Lebanese native, Joseph is familiar with the foods and landscapes of the Middle East and Mediterranean. He and Mary prepared a legacy of Mediterranean foods for their children and grandchildren, side by side. After the death of Mary, Elizabeth, creator of PistachiOats®, now turns to her father for new ideas and innovations on recipes passed down to her from her mother. In his dedication to his late wife, Grandpa Joseph is very excited to be a part of the continuing growth of Sano Villa in the marketplace.

Be sure to check back beginning June 29th, the start of the NY Fancy Food Show, as we continue to share and chronicle our experiences with you.

Until then!

PistachiOats Summertime Treats

Our taste buds sense the approach of summer and with that comes the craving for the sweet and the cold – ice cream!

We love ice cream just as much as the next person, which is why we’ve created a number of summertime desserts using PistachiOats^®. Our favorite of this summer is the parfait. We’ve taken this French dessert and made it our own by combining our favorite cookie, PistachiOats^®, with our favorite flavors of ice cream, and topping it with complementary tastes.

Here are some of our personal favorites.


Elizabeth’s childhood carries with it the flavors of pistachio nuts, which is a common snack and food in her native Lebanon. For her, the Pistachio Parfait is the perfect complement to her favorite cookie creation, PistachiOats^®.







Sano Villa family member, Nicole, is the quintessential chocoholic and so it comes as no surprise that her favorite PistachiOats^® Parfait is the Chocolate Parfait.









PistachiOats^® co-creator, Ben, loves to eat as much fruit as possible, especially come summertime. His parfait of choice blends vanilla ice cream and fruit with his favorite PistachiOats® flavor, blueberry.







You can learn how to make these yummy treats, along with other PistachiOats^® inventions, on our website at http://pistachioats.blogspot.com/2008/05/not-just-any-ordinary-cookie.html

Please also share with us your favorite PistachiOats^® creations!