Origin Story

The pantry expedition that started it all.

Born above the bakery

Ricky was born in the apartment over Little Italy's bakery, which means his first memory is the smell of fresh bread and his second is Nonna Rigatoni declaring him "too thin" at roughly four seconds old. He grew up on sauce fumes and stories — specifically, Uncle Penne's stories, told at the Sunday table with full sound effects.

The pantry expedition (age 7)

At seven, Ricky decided the family pantry was "uncharted territory" and mounted a full expedition: backpack, cap (forwards, at that age), and a hand-drawn map labeling the flour bin "THE WHITE DESERT." He was gone forty minutes. The search party found him behind the preserves, mid-"discovery" of pickles, taking field notes. Nonna laughed until she cried, then framed the map. It still hangs in Da Rigatoni's kitchen.

Assistant, appointed (age 12)

After years of shadowing Uncle Penne's "expeditions" (read: long walks with snacks), Ricky was formally appointed expedition assistant — a ceremony involving a spare compass, a solemn oath, and Nonna's condition that all expeditions end by supper. He has kept the compass. He has occasionally stretched "by supper."