COMPETITOR

ChefMel

HEAD COOK: Melissa Maugeri

COMPETITION: World Noodle Championship

I grew up in St. Louis.
My Sicilian grandmother (Nana) was raised on the “Hill.” Growing up, I loved my Nana’s pasta sauce; my mom would make a version with a little sugar. Those were the only red sauces I liked. What I didn’t know then, and would discover later as an adult, is that I do not prefer oregano. After many trials of “doctoring” the sauces I would buy, and realizing I didn’t like that spice, I decided to try and make my own sauce from scratch. I watched my Nana make hers. It was an all-day process. I decided to vary what she did, and opt for a shorter process, add a little sugar and finish with a nice Merlot. I thought it turned out pretty good… then I shared it with my coworkers at our potluck the next day. They raved and raved and then expected me to bring pasta with this sauce to EVERY potluck from now on! They requested that I make more batches and sell them to them. I would make it, can it in quart jars, and bring it in and sell out in minutes. I did this repeatedly and then decided to try craft shows. I would sell out at shows and have to take orders and go back to my kitchen and make more. I moved up into the Farmer’s Markets and continued this side hustle for a while. The next logical, but HUGE, step was for me to have the sauce mass-produced. It took a lot of perseverance and a lot of NOs until doors started to open. I have been so fortunate to have so many people help me along the way, and who continue to help as we grow and are expanding. The growth has been phenomenal once I took the step to quit my career to go “all in” with my business about 2 years ago. We currently have 3 varieties and working on a 4th. We are currently sold in over 150 stores throughout Missouri and Illinois. I’ve always wanted to enter a food competition, and I did that with the “Red Sauce Challenge“ in St. Louis. Winning was an extraordinary experience and I’m looking forward to the next level.