Meet The Working Fireman Behind Mario's Marinara, Mario Manfredini
0How many firefighters have their own brand of marinara sauce? Mario Manfredini, the "King of Marinara" in the Berwyn, firehouse, does. Mario is a proud Italian-American firefighter who serves his community while also serving up delicious Italian food and several varieties of marinara sauce. He got his start with help from his family, in particular his mom and nonna. Mario watched how they prepared delicious meals for aunts, uncles and cousins who came together each Sunday to enjoy each other’s company and a delicious meal. That’s where he learned the secret of making savory marina sauce featuring fresh ingredients.
Since one-third of a firefighter’s life is spent with co-workers, someone has to cook. When Mario witnessed a fellow firefighter opening a bottle of pasta sauce, he deadpanned, "I can’t let you do that." He proceeded to make the marinara sauce from scratch, served generously on a plate of steaming pasta, and the rest is history. Mario became the primary Berwyn, Illinois firehouse chef. When his sauce was so well received by his co-workers, Mario began making marinara at charity events. The results were the same – rave reviews. The next step was bottling and branding his delicious marinara.
One of Mario’s childhood buddies, another Italian-American firefighter, Kris Coniglio, recalls how they narrowly escaped a collapsed roof fighting a fire together. With all their inside jokes and kidding aside they know it’s an inherently dangerous job. Kris talks about the positive impact of returning to the station after a tough day to gather around the table for camaraderie and one of Mario’s delicious meals. Sauce for the soul!
To learn more about Mario or to purchase some of his sauces go to mariosmariniara.com.
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