If you’ve ever dreamed of coming home to slow-cooked Italian comfort food Nonna-style, Thank Frank Sauce is for you.
Started by sisters Michelle and Natalie Saturnino, Thank Frank Sauce has grown from a COVID-era idea to a full-fledged business.
“Our parents have owned Scaccia, a restaurant in the city center, for over 30 years. [My sister and I have] “I always worked there,” says Michelle.
With the restaurant closed during the pandemic, the team offered takeout to the local community. “A lot of the feedback during that time was that they wanted sauce in a jar,” she adds.
Familiar with the type of mindful cooking that transforms great ingredients into soulful Italian dishes, the sisters set out to create a prepared sauce that tasted homemade.
“It took over a year to make it, taste it, go back to the drawing board and really produce something that tastes like what we eat at home,” explains Michelle.
In the end, Thank Frank sauce was born. A tribute to Saturnino matriarch Franca, it offers modern (and busy) chefs a break from hours in the kitchen.
“[Thank Frank is] “Based on tradition, but made for modern times,” explains Michelle. “We are working single mothers. We want something that tastes great, but you don’t have to sit there for hours making it because none of us have the time.
Thank Frank sauce is made without preservatives or fillers and is free of garlic and other brands’ seasonings that can cause digestive distress. The range currently includes three flavors: classic (simply sweetened with carrot), rosé and pure beef with Bolognese.
“After trying literally everything there was on the market, we knew we had something special,” explains Michelle, adding that the team’s classic sauce “is just super simple. We slow cook them in small batches for hours to make them that smooth and sweet sauce.”
Since the sauce is still a family affair, it is made in the family restaurant, with the sisters handling all the planning, packaging, marketing and more.
“We would love to be in a big facility and be everywhere,” Michelle says.
Available online, at Scaccia and at some small local retailers including Saudade and Tiny’s General Store, Michelle adds that expansion across Canada is definitely the goal.
“We are Italians. Food is such a big part of our culture,” says Michelle. “We care so much about what we eat and the quality. It’s about togetherness and connection.”
A sauce that is good enough for a family that has “never” bought the jar version. Thank Frank Sauce will challenge your opinion of what a prepared sauce can do.