For Chico’s Gourmet founder, Mark Monson, the journey into sauces began with a simple idea after retirement: “Well, I didn’t want to starve to death,” he jokes. But behind the humor is a lifelong love of cooking. Nearly 40 years ago, while living in Houston, he learned an Italian pasta sauce recipe from his roommate’s father — a Brooklyn-born foodie chef with old-country roots. Over time, he tweaked the recipe, making it his own. That pasta sauce became the foundation for Chico’s Gourmet.

What started at a farmers market nine years ago quickly grew. Each week, jars sold out, fueling momentum that led to partnerships with local meat markets, grocery stores, and eventually regional chains like Hy-Vee and Fresh Thyme. Today, Chico’s is found in hundreds of stores across the Midwest, with fans emailing and even requesting jars shipped directly to their homes when shelves run bare.

Chico’s line has grown to include a Jalapeño Raspberry Rum BBQ Sauce, a one-of-a-kind Lasagna Sauce, and even a Bloody Mary Mix that took nearly two years of trial and error to perfect. Each product reflects the founder’s “Zen” approach to cooking — long hours, patient experimentation, and joy in the process. “It used to take me all day to make a sauce,” he says. That attention to detail is still at the heart of every jar.

For newcomers, he recommends starting with the pasta sauce over spaghetti and meatballs. But no matter the flavor, Chico’s Gourmet aims to deliver authenticity and nostalgia. As one customer put it after tasting the pasta sauce: “I haven’t experienced that taste since I left my Italian neighborhood in Chicago.”