Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Sasto.
Hi Joe, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
CELEBRITY CHEF JOE SASTO found his love for cooking and appetite for Italian classics as a child at his mother’s side, and it was at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quince in San Francisco that his passion for pasta truly began. In 2018, Sasto forged his own path and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, he pivoted his career by teaching virtual pasta-making classes.
With more than half a billion likes, over one-million followers and countless viral social media videos, Sasto has become a recurring judge and chef personality across multiple shows on the Food Network. He’s also competed and appeared on Food Network shows such as Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Chopped, as well as Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef All-stars.
In 2022, Sasto made the Food Network’s first-ever “Hot List.” Aside from his career as a chef, Sasto has developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line, and he is the creator of Tantos, the first puffed pasta chip, and a gourmet frozen ravioli brand, Ripi. His first best-selling cookbook, Breaking the Rules – a fresh take on Italian classics, published in October 2025 by Simon-Element. And was named one of the best cookbooks of 2025 by Epicurious and Bon Appetit. He lives in Chicago and enjoys spending time with his pup, Tito, and his wife, Kait.
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Joe Sasto is a Chicago-based celebrity chef and the creator of Tantos, the first-ever & original pasta chip. He had an itch to become a chef at a very young age and found his love for cooking and passion for the Italian classics from his mother. After earning his Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis, he started training under the Bay Area’s most respected chefs. It was at Quince in San Francisco that Sasto’s passion for pasta truly began. Later, during his time as an Executive Sous Chef at Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Sasto cultivated his relationships with local farmers using seasonal produce unique to the California area. It was there he showcased elevated farm-to-table dining. A natural leader, Sasto became recognized for his abilities and quickly raised Lazy Bear to a two-Michelin starred restaurant and Quince to a three-Michelin starred restaurant. In 2018 Sasto forged his own path and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. Throughout that time, he traveled the country, hosted private events, taught pasta classes and threw fine-dining dinner parties.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, he pivoted his career by teaching virtual pasta-making classes, developing recipes and cultivating his social media profile. With over a half-billion likes and countless viral social media videos, Sasto has become a recurring judge and chef personality across multiple shows on the Food Network. He’s also competed as an All-Star competitor on Food Network shows such as “Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Chopped” and Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef All Stars.” In 2022 Joe Sasto made the Food Network’s first-ever “Hot List.”
Aside from his career as a chef, Joe Sasto has developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line with the esteemed knife maker and blacksmith Doghouse Forge. He is also the creator of Tantos, the first puffed pasta chip which launched the summer of 2024, and most recently a frozen gourmet ravioli brand, Ripi. Most recently, he published his first cookbook, Breaking the Rules: a fresh take on Italian cuisine – showcasing his signature blend of creativity and technique – And was named one of the best cookbooks of 2025 by Epicurious and Bon Appetit.
When he isn’t working on everything else, he spends his time consulting on menus and concepts for developing restaurants across the USA. He also enjoys spending time with his pup Tito, and his wife, Kait.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road.
For most chefs, there has always been a very clear definition of success: work your way up through great kitchens, become an executive chef, and eventually open your own restaurant. That was my dream too. I spent years in Michelin-starred kitchens, learning the craft, chasing excellence, and assuming that one day I would open a brick-and-mortar restaurant of my own.
But as I got deeper into the industry, I started to realize that passion and business are not always the same thing. Restaurants are incredibly rewarding, but they are also financially brutal. The margins are razor thin, the hours are relentless, and even very talented chefs can struggle to build long-term stability.
Around the same time, social media was beginning to create opportunities that didn’t really exist for chefs before. The challenge was that nobody viewed it as a legitimate career path. If you told people ten years ago that you wanted to focus on content creation, brand partnerships, television, and consumer products instead of opening a restaurant, many would have assumed you couldn’t make it in the traditional culinary world.
One of the hardest decisions of my career was walking away from the dream I had spent years pursuing. It felt like abandoning the path I was supposed to take. There wasn’t a roadmap for chefs building personal brands, launching CPG companies, or creating content full time. There were very few examples of people successfully doing it, and there was certainly no guarantee it would work.
I had to bet on an entirely new model. Instead of putting all my energy into opening a restaurant, I focused on building an audience, telling stories, creating educational and entertaining content, developing products, writing a cookbook, and eventually launching food brands. At the time, many people viewed those things as side projects. Today, they are the foundation of my business.
The biggest challenge wasn’t learning social media or entrepreneurship. It was overcoming the fear of stepping away from the traditional definition of success and trusting that I could build something different. There were plenty of moments where it would have been easier to follow the conventional path, but looking back, taking that risk opened doors I never could have imagined.
Now I get to reach millions of people instead of serving hundreds each night. I still get to cook, teach, create, and inspire people through food, but I can do it across television, social media, live events, products, and brands. What once felt like a huge gamble ended up becoming the most important decision of my career.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tantos?
Tantos is a snack brand built by people who are obsessed with pasta.
As a chef, I’ve spent my entire career making pasta, teaching pasta, and finding new ways to share my love of Italian food. Tantos was born from a simple idea: what if we could take everything people love about pasta and turn it into a crunchy, craveable snack?
Our signature product is a puffed pasta chip made from real pasta. It’s light, crispy, packed with flavor, and unlike anything else in the snack aisle. We created Tantos because we saw an opportunity to bring something truly innovative to consumers while staying rooted in the comfort and nostalgia of Italian food.
What sets us apart is that we’re not trying to imitate another snack category. We’re creating a new one. Tantos starts with pasta, not potatoes, corn, or rice. That gives us a unique texture, flavor experience, and story that immediately stands out. We also focus on bold, familiar flavors inspired by classic Italian dishes and ingredients, making every bag feel approachable and fun.
Beyond the product itself, we’re proud of the community we’ve built around the brand. Tantos has resonated with everyone from food enthusiasts and home cooks to families looking for a better snack option. Seeing people discover the product for the first time and immediately understand the concept is one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
What we’re most proud of is taking a category-defining idea from a chef’s imagination and turning it into a real, scalable business. Tantos represents creativity, innovation, and the belief that great food experiences can happen anywhere, not just around a dinner table.
We want readers to know that Tantos isn’t just another snack. It’s a celebration of pasta culture, Italian-inspired flavors, and the joy that food brings people. We’re just getting started, and our mission is to continue creating products that surprise people, spark conversation, and make snack time a little more delicious.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are lots of ways to follow along and support what I’m building.
The best place to keep up with my day-to-day adventures, recipes, restaurant discoveries, behind-the-scenes content, and culinary projects is on Instagram at [@chef.joe.sasto](https://www.instagram.com/chef.joe.sasto/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
You can also learn more about upcoming events, appearances, partnerships, classes, and contact information through my website at [JoeSasto.com](https://www.joesasto.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
For long-form cooking content, travel stories, and culinary adventures, check out my YouTube series, [Make Mama Proud](https://www.youtube.com/@makemamaproudshow?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
If you’d like to support my brands, here are a few ways:
• [Doich Birthday Cake Snacking Dough](https://www.doich.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – Edible snacking dough inspired by nostalgic dessert flavors.
• [Tantos Puffed Pasta Chips](https://www.tantossnacks.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – A first-of-its-kind puffed pasta chip made for pasta lovers and snack enthusiasts alike.
• [Ripi Foods](https://www.ripifoods.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – Gourmet frozen ravioli crafted with chef-driven flavors and available at Target and Whole Foods locations nationwide.
• [Breaking the Rules: A Fresh Take on Italian Classics](https://www.joesasto.com/cookbook?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – My cookbook featuring creative pasta recipes, Italian-inspired dishes, and the techniques I’ve learned throughout my career.
• [Larder & Vine Cookware Collection](https://www.larderandvine.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – My signature cookware line, including the Grappa-colored pans designed to inspire more home cooking.
Whether it’s following a recipe, watching a video, attending an event, trying one of our products, or simply sharing our content with a friend, every bit of support helps us continue creating, innovating, and bringing great food experiences to more people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joesasto.com
- Instagram: chef.joe.sasto
- Facebook: chefjoesasto
- Youtube: chefjoesasto
- Other: https://www.eattantos.com
