Sopranos' Spaghetti Soon on Its Way

By Stephen M. Silverman

Monday August 05, 2002 01:00 AM EDT

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By September, when the fourth season of HBO's Mob hit "The Sopranos," starring James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, finally premieres, it should be temperate enough again to eat baked ziti. Perhaps with that thought in mind, the cable network (which, like PEOPLE, is part of AOL Time Warner) has entered into a licensing agreement for a gourmet food line named after the restaurateur character on show, Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia). The New York Times reports that the initial offering of products -- "marinara sauce, creamy Caesar salad dressing and dry ziti pasta" -- will be available at first in an all-inclusive gift package only on the HBO Web site, but an extended line will be available in specialty stores and grocery chains soon after. These additional items, which will bear logos for the show and HBO, will include barbecue sauce, olive oil and salad dressings, as well as a line of Artie Bucco frozen pizzas. "Sopranos" co-executive producer Ilene Landress told The Times that she sees the food launch as a natural tie-in to the show: "On Sunday nights, people all over the country were throwing these 'Sopranos' parties ... making these big Italian dinners. If people are out there cooking up a storm, a line of food products is not far off." No word on whether Tony Soprano will own the delivery trucks.