Canastota, N.Y. — Italian sausage is one of the best-loved food items in Central New York. And here, as elsewhere, pumpkin spice is one of the most controversial food flavorings — people love it or hate it.
What happens when they’re combined? We’ll find out this weekend, when one of the region’s best-known meat companies, Basilio Buda, launches a Pumpkin Spice Sausage.
Basilio Buda Pumpkin Spice sausage, along with a new Hot Honey version, make their debut Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Carnival Rides and Treats Fall Festival in Canastota. (Event details below).
After that, the new sausage varieties will find their way onto shelves at selected stores, including Tops’ markets in Central New York, plus Spera’s Meat Market in Cicero and some other local grocers.
“People, our customers, are always asking us to try new flavors and varieties,” said Deb Golden who owns Basilio Buda with Vinnie Salamone, Jr. “So we tried some stuff out, experimented, to find some things we think they’d like.”
For the pumpkin sausage, Golden said, it took some time to get the spice level right. The sausage contains pumpkin, plus a spice blend of cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg.
“It came out as a mild pumpkin spice, not too overpowering,” said Golden, who developed the the sausages in the company’s plant at 118 N. Court St. in Canastota. “I tried a more potent version, but that was too much.”
Describing the final version, she said, “On a roll, it has a sweet pumpkiny flavor that reminds you of a fall pumpkin pie”
Basilio Buda has been in the sausage business since 1956. It was founded in Syracuse by members of the Basilio family, who later moved it to Canastota.
The family included boxing champion Carmen Basilio, who died in 2012, and his brother Paul Basilio, who operated the sausage company for six decades before selling the business to relatives. Paul Basilio also was a well-known vendor at the New York State Fair. He died in 2020.
Among Basilio Buda’s other varieties of Italian sausage are a the XXX Hot, plus hot, medium, sweet and “restaurant blend.” It also makes a chicken sausage, a Buffalo chicken variety and breakfast sausage.
“We have a small, but well-oiled plant,” Golden said. “So we really can come up with something new and turn it around pretty quickly when we want.”
Basilio Buda Sausage Co. of Canastota is introducing a new Pumpkin Spice Sausage at the Canastota Fall Fest Oct. 7, 8 and 9. After that, it will be available at selected food stores, including many Tops markets in Central New York. (Carnival Rides & Treats)
Event details
What: Carnival Rides and Treats Fall Festival
Where: Canastota Volunteer Fire Department Field, on Hickory Street in the village.
When: 4 to 8 p.m. Friday; 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 to5 p.m. Sunday.
More: It features rides, carnival/fair food (funnel cakes, burgers, sausage etc.) and games. Unlimited ride bands will be available for each day for $20. Note: This is Carnival Rides and Treats final full event of the season.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.