When brands are born from tradition, their impact stretches far beyond a simple product purchase. When Carina Castagna unexpectedly lost her father Joseph “Joe” Castagna after her college graduation, she found comfort in his infamous made-with-walnuts pesto. This sparked a business idea rooted in connection by preserving the idea of communion through recipe heritage.
We spoke to Carina about how she carries the Pesto Joe torch as a tribute to her father and a celebration of this vibrant Italian kitchen staple.
Tell us your brand origin story. Can you speak more on the family operation?
This all started in a unique “aha” moment for me. I graduated from Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Two weeks after receiving my degree, my dad unexpectedly passed away.
My “aha” moment happened in the kitchen one evening making dinner with my mom. I opened the freezer and when I saw one of my dad’s last batches of pesto, it felt like my dad was still there with me.
In my mission in putting my grief into something — and also wanting to make families aware of how limited our time is with our loved ones — I took my dad’s recipes and started this business in his name.
Why are walnuts an imperative part of Pesto Joe pesto?
My father’s family is from northern Italy, from Capestrano. Italy is beautifully regional in the food they create, and northern Italy will often use a walnut in their pesto. The only way my father ever made pesto is with walnuts. So for us, it’s very incremental and personal from the aspect of preserving a family recipe, but the walnuts also provide a really unique texture and flavor profile.
How do walnuts enhance the sensory experience of enjoying Pesto Joe pesto?
The consistency is what we get a lot of compliments on. Store-bought pestos have a lot of seed oils and fillers in them, so oftentimes it becomes too creamy, and pestos should have a little bit of a bite and should be able to be used as a sauce or spread.
Discuss some of the customer feedback you receive from Pesto Joe pesto.
My favorite moment is when a customer tries it for the first time. Handing them a piece of bread with our pesto on it and seeing their eyes just light up and say, “wow, this is so fresh,” is my favorite compliment. Children specifically really enjoy it, which I’m always so happy to see.
A lot of people are brought back to their Italian roots because it tastes homemade, fresh and traditional. That’s what we are focused on, is the freshness, the quality, good flavor and important, clean ingredients.
What are some recommended uses for Pesto Joe products?
Our Traditional has a more cheese-forward flavor. I love that on my pasta. Each of our containers is 8 ounces, so that’s set for a pound of pasta for an easy, quick meal.
Garlic Lovers is probably my favorite. That one I love on my sandwiches and on my wraps during the week. I love that on chicken, and I prefer that on pizza.
The Fra Diavolo, the spicy pesto, has a chili pepper, so it’s got a nice heat to it. It’s not meant to be a hot sauce; it’s meant to be a flavorful heat. I recommend that on a steak, with pizza, with sausage — something that has more sturdiness or a bite to it bodes well for it.
Discuss the best techniques for keeping Pesto Joe products fresh.
Whether you buy jarred or fresh, you should keep it in the fridge. We recommend nothing longer than two weeks. My favorite tip is, if you want it longer than a week and you want it to stay that bright green, freeze it. We recommend about six months in the freezer, but if you leave it longer, it won’t spoil.
Are there any Pesto Joe products we can look forward to in the future?
We have a NIL (name, image, likeness)) deal with my alma mater, Seton Hall. It’s called Pirate Pesto, and that’s a way for our Seton Hall community to support our student-athletes while supporting an alumni-owned pesto business. Part of that sale goes back to support student-athletes.
We have some really fun flavors in the works, but I can’t yet release them, so keep an eye out for some fun flavors to come.
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