Carla Bartolucci grew up in an Italian-American household, eating fresh gnocchi and ravioli made by her mother, and lobster caught by her father. She met her husband Rodolfo while studying abroad in Italy; and by the early 1990's, the two of them were running a small sandwich shop in Mystic, Connecticut.

They eventually partnered with the Italian company Bionaturae to sell whole wheat pastas, sauces and olive oil in the U.S. When that partnership ended in a lawsuit, Carla decided to launch her own brand of pasta, made from gluten-free grains and a prehistoric wheat called Einkorn. Jovial Foods has since grown into a multi-million dollar brand that includes organic tomatoes, olive oil, and snacks.

Very sadly, Carla passed away unexpectedly last month after a brief illness. We're sharing this interview in celebration of her remarkable life and career.

Show Notes:

1:26 - Intro
4:31 - Carla’s childhood
7:26 - Carla’s father is diagnosed with cancer
9:15 - Carla’s first time in Italy
10:36 - College abroad
11:48 - Meeting Rodolfo
13:19 - Moving to Italy with Rodolfo
15:08 - Returning to the US to open a piadina hut
16:13 - Opening a pasta shop in Connecticut
18:55 - Going back to Italy and dealing with more tragedy
20:05 - Carla and Rodolfo go back to Connecticut to help her mother
22:45 - Making moves to order organic pasta
27:23 - The first year
33:24 - A major breakthrough
34:54 - Marketing
39:53 - Bionaturae starts to fall apart
43:21 - Filing a lawsuit
46:32 - Starting a new brand
48:24 - Dealing with gluten intolerance
50:55 - Discovering Einkorn
56:45 - Baking with Einkorn
61:40 - Starting Jovial
64:00 - Selling
65:50 - Offering a cooking retreat in Tuscany
70:00 - Becoming profitable and making new products
72:50 - Overtaking Bionaturae
74:45 - Keeping the business in the family
77:19 - Reflecting
78:33 - Luck vs. hard work

Selected Links:

Carla and Rodolfo
Jovial Foods
Jovial gluten-free pasta
Einkorn Wheat
Piadina
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Luciano Pavoratti
DeBole’s 
Bionaturae
Bill of lading 
The Sofi Award
Bronze-cut pasta
Natural products expo west
Gluten free girl
Cassava pasta