"Steve Sando, the company's founder and CEO, and long-time fan of Hazan's, befriended the esteemed chef after noticing her name on an order. A series of email correspondence followed, with the two bonding over a mutual love of beans, ultimately culminating in this fitting tribute. Eventually, Sando asked Hazan what bean she most missed from Italy. Her answer: the Sorana, a specific variety of cannellini bean found only near the village of Sorana in Tuscany."
"Sadly, just as the fruits (er, beans) of his labor were coming to fruition in 2013, Hazan passed away before she got to try them. Because of their Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, Sando was prohibited from calling his crop Soranas, so he asked Marcella's husband, wine expert and cookbook author Victor Hazan, what he thought of naming them Marcella beans. Hazan replied, "Marcella would get a kick out of your naming the bean after her.""
Marcella beans are an heirloom cannellini variety produced by Rancho Gordo to honor Marcella Hazan. Steve Sando sourced Sorana seedstock, a specific cannellini variety native to the village of Sorana in Tuscany, and planted it in California. Protected Designation of Origin rules prevented calling the crop Soranas, so Victor Hazan approved naming the beans Marcella. Marcella Hazan died in 2013 before she could try the beans. Cannellini beans are white beans related to great Northern, navy, and butterbeans and were originally cultivated in Argentina before being brought to Italy by immigrants.
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