Episode 24: “How One Entrepreneur Reinvented Pasta Sauce”

What makes a truly great pasta sauce? Is it the tomatoes, the family recipe, or the way it's preserved?

In this episode of The Off The Menu Podcast, we sit down with Melina Balbo, founder of BIS Pasta Sauce, to explore Italian food traditions, family recipes, entrepreneurship, and why frozen pasta sauce may deliver a fresher, more authentic flavor than shelf-stable jars.

Melina shares stories of growing up in a large Italian family in New York, receiving homemade sauce care packages while away at school, learning food traditions in Sicily, and launching a food startup inspired by generations of family cooking. The conversation dives into San Marzano tomatoes, pesto, marinara vs. pomodoro sauce, the infamous "sauce or gravy" debate, and the challenges of building a specialty food brand from scratch.

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Learn more about BIS pasta sauce at https://eatbis.com/