Stirring the Pot
From Pasta to Polenta, Cioppino to Cacciatore, the Mascio’s passion for Italian Food Runs Deep
Early 1900’s
Nicola DiIulio, the great-grandfather, leaves Sulmona, Italy, to work in the coal mines of Black Diamond, Washington. His goal is to save enough money to start his own pasta company back home.
1928
After returning to Sulmona, Nicola starts a pasta company, Pastificio Maiella, named after the nearby mountain range. The business thrives for decades until the 1950s, where an unpaid order impacts the business, forcing it to shut down.
1954
Antonio, Nicola’s son, relocates to Tripoli, Libya, to manage a pasta company. He runs the business there with his family until political unrest forces them to leave.
1959
The Mascio family, including young Gennaro (Jerry), moves to Seattle, Washington, seeking new opportunities. Flora, Jerry’s mother, soon begins producing Italian food again. Flora begins making fresh ravioli in the basement of their Beacon Hill home, selling it to friends and local restaurants. As demand grows, the family “bootlegs” pasta around Seattle until the USDA requires them to formalize the business.
1996
After thirty years of continued pasta business in Seattle, Jerry Mascio, seeking a simpler business model, starts San Gennaro Foods to focus on one beloved Italian staple: pre-cooked polenta. This traditional Italian dish provides a convenient meal solution for families.
Early 2000’s
Production of San Gennaro Foods expands and moves several times before settling in a 30,000-square-foot facility in Kent, Washington, where the company currently operates.
TODAY
Nearly a century after Nicola DiIulio’s first food company in Italy, the Mascio family tradition lives on with San Gennaro Foods, still family-run by the next generation, Tony Mascio.