Pasta Sisters Brings Family-Made Frozen Pastas and Sauces to Gelson's Markets

Pasta Sisters, the West Los Angeles Italian brand founded in 2015 by Paola Da Re and her son Francesco Sinatra, moved its scratch-made pastas and sauces into Southern California grocery store freezers, beginning with select Gelson's Markets and Claro's Italian Markets. About a dozen Gelson's locations are carrying the line now, with a broader rollout planned across all Gelson's stores in the coming weeks.

The Gelson's frozen section lineup includes spaghetti, tagliatelle, tortellini, meat lasagna built from housemade pasta sheets with bolognese sauce, besciamella, and parmigiano cheese, and the brand's signature bolognese, slow-simmered for nine hours. Claro's Italian Markets will carry the tortellini alongside gnocchi made with fresh potatoes rather than rehydrated potato powder, steamed fresh daily. Suggested retail prices run $9.95 to $14.95 for 12- to 16-ounce packages across both retailers.

"We're thrilled to bring our family recipes to the grocery aisle and ultimately into the homes of more Angelenos," said CEO Francesco Sinatra. "Partnering with Gelson's and Claro's is a natural fit. We're all family-built businesses that share a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and our customers."

The business has always been a family operation. Da Re and Sinatra launched Pasta Sisters in 2015, and daughters Giorgia Sinatra and Francesca Lico later joined the company. The family sources ingredients from both Italy and California, with an emphasis on authenticity and consistency.

One production detail stands out even by Italian standards: Pasta Sisters owns the only tortellini-making machine in the United States approved by both the Bologna Chamber of Commerce and the Learned Brotherhood of the Tortellino, a first-of-its-kind approval given that authentic tortellini is traditionally made entirely by hand. When machines enter the process, Pasta Sisters uses Italian Emiliomiti equipment, considered among the finest in pasta production.

To bridge the gap between restaurant quality and grocery-aisle convenience, the pasta is flash-frozen shortly after production, a process the brand says is designed to preserve texture and flavor. The full Gelson's rollout is expected within weeks.