Our Story
It began with a larger-than-life dream and a passion for food.
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Now, it's our life's work to make only the best for you and yours.
For the past 35 years, we've stayed true to our core values and our mission to unite people through food by creating the finest food products using the best ingredients, celebrating tradition and authenticity, and never cutting corners.
Today, as a family owned and privately held company, we operate in over 90,000 sq. ft. of space, service customers in 35 states, craft custom products for numerous brands and partners, and employ more than 150 talented people from our own local community.
Our facilities are FDA registered, USDA inspected, and SQF (Safe Quality Food) certified. We hold ourselves to the highest standards so you can rest assured you're getting the best possible quality.
To read the rest of our story, scroll the page below
Land of Opportunity
1967-1974
A man named Luigi sets sail from Italy and lands in New York City. Stepping foot onto American soil with only $5 to his name and a dream to make a life for himself, he knows there's much to learn.
Luigi makes his way to Chicago where he gets his first work in the food business at a grocery store, bagging items for patrons of the store. He spends the next several years exploring the city and its food scene, making friendships along the way.
A Place for Friends
1975-1981
Luigi makes a leap of faith and spends his hard-earned money to open a social club, where friends and family could come gather. Seeing people come together with a common bond inspires him to lean into his passion even more.
He plans, saves, and opens a restaurant in 1980 called La Capannina in Chicago, laying the groundwork for the realization of a larger dream. The restaurant is a hit success for Luigi, with its inviting atmosphere and menu.
Fresh Concepts
1982-1986
La Capannina grows, and Luigi looks for ways to evolve his business and directly engage with his customers. He decides to mix the elements of his social club and the restaurant and provide a form of entertainment for his guests.
Luigi purchases a vintage pasta machine, and he starts making fresh pasta right in the middle of the restaurant. Guests of La Capannina love the concept and the restaurant becomes a local hotspot for people wanting great food and great company.
What's in a Name?
1987-1993
After receiving high praise from guests for his "perfect" pasta demonstrations, Luigi decides to market the business concept, and the name, to local restaurants and grocers. Perfect Pasta is officially born and Luigi begins building his list of customers.
The business grows quickly enough for Luigi to need to find his own space. He leases a small manufacturing building in Chicago, and buys a used truck so he can not only make, but deliver his pasta to customers throughout the city.
We're Partners Now
1994-2000
With a full house - a wife and three children - Luigi knows he needs help in order to grow his business. He enlists his brother Leo to help him diversify his time, the company's portfolio of pasta products, and its list of customers to maintain balance of work & life.
Five years later, Luigi strikes a strategic partnership with Mario of Marco Foods. The new partners go to work in their fields of expertise, adding new products and ideas to grow Perfect Pasta beyond Chicagoland and into the Midwest.
Take to the Skies
2001-2005
Luigi leverages longterm relationships with industry friends and together a new venture is formed, propelling Perfect Pasta into the prepared meal space where its first in-flight meal hits 35,000 feet for a major US airline carrier.
Luigi and Perfect Pasta now work closely with industry partners to develop and serve a full rotation of curated prepared meal offerings for several major airlines and railway customers. These products span from economy to first class, domestically and internationally.
We Call it Home
2006-2011
Perfect Pasta's sustained growth forces a move to a much larger facility to support the continued expansion of business. Now, with 50,000 sq. ft. of space and a host of new equipment and machinery, Perfect Pasta has the breathing room it needs to maintain existing business and support new initiatives.
The company is fortunate to provide job growth for the local community, now employing a staff of maintenance engineers, quality technicians, production workers, salespeople and delivery drivers, all working together.
Evolution & the Future
2012-2018
With attention on dietary & lifestyle products, Perfect Pasta launches a full line of Gluten Free pasta offerings, being conscious of customers' dietary choices while offering them a way to continue to enjoy gourmet pasta at home and when dining out.
Continued growth of the business creates a local opportunity for Perfect Pasta, and in 2018 a new 28,000 sq. ft. building with space for cold storage (500 pallet positions), logistics, and future production is opened a mile from the headquarters facility.
New Look, New Era
2019-Present
Perfect Pasta performs a complete overhaul of its product packaging and offerings, modernizing to bring awareness & access to the brand to new locations and new customers.
A global pandemic puts pressure on the food industry, and Perfect Pasta draws on expertise in the prepared meal sector, launching a line of prepared meals for grocery, deli, and grab & go. Today, product offerings span international cuisine under two brands as the company looks to the future of food.