About us
In the rural town of Valtellina in northern Italy, a young Diego grew up watching Nonna Nina creating the most delicious home cooking - the aroma of fresh herbs simmering, the sight of dough kneading, the sound of quick knife-cutting… the seed of culinary passion was sown as he watched with curiosity (and a big appetite!). Using ingredients from a backyard full of fresh vegetables and roaming farm animals, adding Nonna Nina’s love and fervor, these simple dishes imprint majestically on the young boy.
From our kitchen to yours, Diego and his Pasta Mia family invite you to taste our crafted culinary innovations!
Diego then embarked onto a culinary exploration throughout Italy, discovering each regions’ pasta offer.
He befriended nonnas, farmers, and chefs, who groomed him with secrets of generational Italian pasta making. There were summer learnings in Rimini, the birthplace of tortellini, or tastings of Bergamo’s microclimate herbs and mountain cheeses. These journeys gave Diego an unparallel understanding of herbs usage, regional authenticity, and unique techniques needed for his culinary perfection.
Moving to California in 1980 to chase his American dream, Diego took several chef positions. In 1984, Pasta Mia was born in the back of an exchanged space in a small Italian restaurant in Laguna Hills.
He woke up before dawn to make pasta, cold called on restaurants to sell them, before returning to serve Italian faire at the restaurant until late hours.
Though business was tough with long hours, Diego continued with passion and principles, paying homage to Nonna Nina in every step to use only the freshest ingredients and to offer only the best tasting pasta. Every customer is family.
40 years in the making, Pasta Mia has grown from a neighborhood small shop to today’s state-of-the-art facility, family-run and proudly serving fresh-frozen pasta and gourmet sauces of an unsurpassed quality and taste. What has not changed is Diego’s relentless strive for the best tasting recipe using only the finest and cleanest ingredients. Through continuous innovations, Diego and his chefs have refined over 500 products for retail, food services, and every culinary aspiration. From traditional pasta cuts true to their regional heritage, to family-recipes made from scratch and braised in small batches in house daily, to harmoniously herbed and simmered sauces that make the most perfect pairing, every offer taste homemade, authentic, and superbly fresh.
