Checkout Chats: Joe Sasto, Chef & Co-Founder of Tantos

In CPG, innovation is key to standing out. Celebrity chef Joe Sasto, known for his appearances on Bravo’s “Top Chef” (he had a solid season!) and The Food Network – and for his amazing mustache – is making his mark in food and bev space with the launch of Tantos. Which officially launched on July 24, 2024.

Tantos aim to disrupt the snack aisle as the first puffed pasta chip made from actual pasta. It blends the comfort of pasta with the convenience of snacking. Available in four unique flavors – Marinara, Cacio e Pepe, Pesto, and Classico – Tantos aims to disrupt the snack aisle and bring a new twist to how we enjoy pasta.

Joe’s transition from the culinary world to entrepreneurship is a testament to his innovative spirit and dedication. In this interview, we discuss his journey, the inspiration behind Tantos, and his insights into the challenges and opportunities within the CPG industry. Let’s eat!

Nate Rosen: So, obviously, you have an extensive culinary background. Why the snack industry? I'm sure somebody told you how difficult CPG is, especially the snacking category.

Joe Sasto: Why snacks? It's a good question. I'm at the point in my career now where I want as many people as possible to be able to try my food, try my cooking, and kind of be able to connect with me on more than just on television, on social media, on various avenues. Without a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Tantos felt like the next best thing, possibly even better, because it can reach people nationwide and potentially worldwide. Obviously, right now we're just in the US, but the goal would be to ship worldwide when the time comes. Pasta is my favorite food group, and with Tantos, I get to combine that with the convenience of snacking. Yes, I was told, and I was warned that the CPG category is not easy. But is any category really easy? Is having a restaurant easy? No. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. Creating your own brands is not easy. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy. And I've loved every step of the process while we've been working on Tantos.

Nate Rosen: I love that perspective. Many talent-led brands don't have such a hands-on approach. It sounds like this project is very personal to you.

Joe Sasto: Absolutely. This isn't a side project; it's my baby. I've been working on it for four years, maybe even longer. I think people are always surprised when we talk to potential investors, when we talk to distributors, when we talk to potential partners or advisors. They’re very surprised to hear that, like, someone of my caliber and with all the different things that I have going on is so involved in the company, because I think we're at that day and age where so many people are just white labeling things and throwing their names on things and slapping a label on something where this is not that it is a very different animal and something that I'm very much tied intrinsically to.

Nate Rosen: You mentioned it has been about four years. Walk me through the process of creating Tantos. What inspired you to turn pasta into a puffed chip?

Joe Sasto: When I had the opportunity to kind of bring those two together and give them to the people, for me, it was a no brainer. It instantly became this passion project that I obsessed over. It started back as almost like a happy accident. Like, all good things. When I was working in a restaurant that was pasta focused, I was the chef of the restaurant, and we had, like, trays of pasta cooked off in the refrigerator that had kind of gotten forgotten about. And I found them a couple days later, and they almost looked like dry chicharron chips. So I threw them in the fryer, and I was like, what could happen? Because I've tried frying fresh pasta, I've tried frying dried pasta, and the texture is not there. It's not enjoyable. It's not something pleasant. You don't keep wanting to go back to it. And when I fry these, I was like, WOW, this is different. This is like, it puffs up like a chicharron, has a really unique, crispy texture. I was like, I might be on to something here.

So I started tinkering around with, like, the formula, the drying, the cooking, the whole process behind it. Over the course of the next year or so once I started going into the pop up world, doing my own pop ups, doing all these events and traveling, bringing pasta to the people, this became a signature snack that started all of my meals. So I would start with a savory pasta nacho, and I would end with a sweet pasta nacho. It was one little perfect bite. And I would call them pasta nachos because I didn't have another word for them at the time. They were, like, you know, dressed up with some guanciale fat refried beans and ricotta salado or maybe some fresh pulled mozzarella and caviar, you know, kind of playing that Italian lens on, on nachos, kind of bringing the world of pasta with them. That's I got linked up with my business partner, Sean. He came to one of my pop ups, tried them and approached me after the dinner and was like, these are really awesome. I helped start businesses. I'm an entrepreneur. Sean was like, “have you ever thought about packaging these?” And I was like, I'm a chef, what do I know about packaging? Starting a CPG company, he's like, well, that's my specialty.

We've gone through two different branding agencies. Now we have a PR company helping us get the name out there, and everything has just kind of been started, grassroots, between me and him.

Nate Rosen: That’s amazing. Having someone who knows the CPG space well definitely helps. I'm sure you've learned a lot already

Joe Sasto: Oh, we both have learned. It has been a crash course.

Nate Rosen: And wait till you get to go to trade shows. I'm sure you'll be asked to speak at some of them.

Joe Sasto:  That actually doesn't scare me at all. The best part about starting a business is you have to find someone that's not like you. I think a lot of people make the mistake of trying to find a business partner that's exactly like them. Oh, we get along so well. We see everything the same. We were both really good at the same things. I think that's a mistake a lot of founders and startups make. You want a partner that compliments you or supplements you. So everything Sean's really good at, I can't read an excel document. My brain explodes. But at the same time, it's like the idea of creating a reel on social media or a marketing message is like. He's like, I have no idea where to begin.

Nate Rosen: 100%. Especially when you're such a small and nimble team, you want to fill those gaps with your respective responsibilities. So I think you're spot on. All right, what has been the most surprising thing about transitioning from the culinary world to the CPG industry?

Joe Sasto: The pay-to-play aspect was surprising. I knew about it but didn't realize how intense it is. Getting on shelves, where the product sits, and the discounts or promos needed for grocery stores are all costly. Deciding on the number of flavors and managing skews is another challenge. It's a crash course, and despite the product's uniqueness and deliciousness, getting it into stores is a different beast altogether.

Nate Rosen: You’re spot on.It's grossly expensive. Luckily, there's, like, interesting ways to sort of get around it.

Joe Sasto: There's definitely creative ways to get it done. I think Pop Up Grocer is a great example. We're in Pop Up right now for the next three months, and they do a great job of helping these small, emerging CPG brands come to the front of the shelf and kind of get in front of people. And I know buyers and investors and people that are in that space are always perusing Pop Up Grocer to see what's new and innovative.

Nate Rosen: Alright, so your time on culinary shows like Top Chef has clearly influenced your career. How have these experiences shaped your approach to culinary innovation and entrepreneurship?

Joe Sasto: That's a great question. I don't know if I always like questions that I've never heard before. That's a really good one. You know, I think with the way you cook in a competition is very different than the way you cook in a restaurant and the competitions you do, and then, especially once you start judging those competitions. Where I'm fortunate now I've transitioned over to the other side of the table where I did all the competitions. I did really well in the competitions and now I'm judging all that next generation of people doing the competitions. So I've seen both sides of it. And the way you cook, you have to be very innovative, and you cook in a very different style. You cook with a lot more intensity in your flavors, a lot more of a stronger hand or heavier hand with everything that you're doing. You're more inclined to try things that are either creative, innovative, or never been tried or done before. Because you're often put in these unique scenarios that don't really exist anywhere else – like here's a slab of focaccia and goat cheese and tomatoes and I need you to make something that starts with the letter s, and then you're like, wait a second What? And then all of a sudden, next thing you know, you're, like, putting the focaccia in a waffle maker, and you're making a focafel sandwich. And here you are, like, making something completely new and different. So taking all that experience and knowledge, cooking in competition settings, I think, has really helped me, not only as an entrepreneur, but in this new space, being creative, being flexible, being able to think on the fly, being able to adapt, and nothing letting stress get to you, because not only running a business, stressful cooking competitions are very stressful. So they go hand in hand in that sense where you're able to control your emotions, you're able to think a little more clearly under pressure. So I think all of that really translates in a unique way to my benefit.

Nate Rosen: That’s really fascinating. Lastly, what are some CPG products on your radar that you’re excited about?

Joe Sasto: I’m intrigued by new hot sauces, even though I can't handle heat like I used to. Yellowbird's sriracha is one I want to try. I’m also into cleaner candies like Joyride, which has done a great job with social media and packaging. In beverages, brands like Leisure Beverage are doing amazing things with innovative drinks. There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening across all CPG verticals.

Nate Rosen: Those are excellent picks. I’ll send you some recommendations for snacks that I love! Thanks for your time, Joe. This was fun.

Joe Sasto: Thank you, Nate. I appreciate it. This has been great

Here is where you can find Joe:

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