Jacquelinas

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Her Success is in the Secret Family recipe pays off for vinegar maker A Camp Hill woman whose business is based on a "secret family recipe" for sweet wine vinegar has expanded. Jackie Magaro, founder and chief executive officer of Jacquelina's specialty foods, has added a marinade and an Italian dipping oil to her line of products. "Marinades and oils are in these days," said Magaro, who makes the sweet wine vinegar, vinegar with seasonings, dipping oil and marinade in her home. "People are marinating fish, poultry, beef, port and vegetables. Some Italian restaurants serve oil to dip bread into instead of putting butter on the bread." Magaro, the fourth generation of Magaro woman to make the vinegar and other products, said the secret family recipe dates back to Cosenza, Italy, where Marian Lappano taught her daughter, Agnes, how to make it. At first, I made it for the family or for gifts," Magaro said, "Then I made more. In 1996, I began to market it by selling it at craft shows, food festivals and a few restaurants and stores. People loved it. My business has increased 800 percent since the first year." She said sales soared after she began exhibiting her products at trade shows and taking orders. "I've showed at the National Association of Specialty Foods trade shows," she said. "I'll be at its fancy food show in July in New York City and at the Atlantic City Gourmet Food Show in October. Last October, I received that show's Best Specialty Food award, a real honor. I also go to wine festivals, since my vinegar is a product of wine." Locally, Jacquelina's products are available at Peggy's Silver Spoon at the West Shore Farmers Market in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania Bakery in Camp Hill, Marketplace Gourmet in Hershey, Kitchen Shoppe in Carlisle and at restaurants such as Roberto's Pizza shops, Cantone's Southern Italian Restaurant and Fisaga. Magaro also takes orders on her Web site-- www.jaquelinas.com -- and ships her products to buyers in about 20 states. The products are sold in 13-ounce bottles with nutrition labels "because customers want that," Magaro said. Caloric content per tablespoon ranges from 25 calories for sweet wine vinegar to 110 calories for her Oils of Italia. She recently prepared a list of more than 100 uses for her products, ranging from avocado sandwiches to vinaigrettes. "I've used the Oils of Italia on my turkey at Thanksgiving and the marinade for stir frying chicken," she said, "My products still are a work in progress." Peggy Harder, owner of Peggy's Silver Spoon, said Jacquelina's products, "sell real well because they are so good and versatile. We sell the most original sweet wine vinegar, but the dipping oil is real popular, too. I was one of her first distributors. I've watched her business grow." Magaro spends six to eight days a month in production and the rest of her time in marketing. "I make 10 gallons of sweet wine vinegar at a time," she said. "I get the wine, which doesn't have any sugar in it, from Mazza Winery in North East Erie County. I add sugar and vinegar and cook it. I'm working on a recipe for sugar free sweet wine vinegar.

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