What Makes Monte's Sauce So F*cking Good?
An Interview with PJ Monte, proprietor of Monte's Fine Foods.
HAPPY FRIDAY!
In today’s newsletter we have a very special interview with the sauce boss PJ Monte, proprietor of Monte’s Fine Foods, who has a legendary history in the food and restaurant space, New York nightlife, and creative world. We discussed his roots in the kitchen, his creative agency Pool Projects, what makes Monte’s sauce so delicious, and the challenges of running a CPG brand.
But first some news—
The Met Gala has a TikTok Problem. The annual gala takes place just a few blocks away from Who Do You Know headquarters this upcoming Monday, and this is the first year the event is being sponsored exclusively by TikTok (previously YouTube streamed the red carpet) The issue here being that a new law is forcing TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app or risk being banned due to its ties to China. The app has been labeled a national security threat by U.S. lawmakers, which is creating a narrow line for Vogue to walk without causing further controversy. The reality is that to big brands, the TikTok ban might as well be happening in a different universe. We are still seeing brands pour money, time, and resources into creating content on the app, and that won’t stop until the app is either here to stay or banned. I wrote more about this the other day.
Charli XCX performed at McCarren Park last night. Last night I had some incredible pasta at Ammazzacaffe, before it was brought to my attention Charli XCX was performing near McCarren Park. We frantically rushed over to try and hear Club Classics but literally just missed it. Luckily, my friend was there and able to spill the tea and show me a video which had me seething. Apparently she was at LeBain last night and previewed a new song which sounds insane. (how many Bushwick residents are about to post on Instagram with the Brat green wall mural in the background?)
hosted a party for their Hate Reads limited series. A few weeks ago, Delia Cai started a limited series on her Substack where anonymous guest writers would discuss something they hated. Nothing was off limits, from media parties to Boygenius, everyone caught a stray, leading to a frenzied discourse online. To celebrate the conclusion of the limited series, Substack sponsored an event at The River (where else?) where the anonymous writers revealed themselves and read their hateful essays. I think this series was f*cking genius, and had a certain niche of the New York media twitter in a chokehold. Its a great example of how a writer can branch out from classic publications and create new IP with cultural significance. Substack was smart to leverage the popularity by sponsoring the party, and I expect the brand to continue to bridge the gap between content on this platform and real life experiences. They should be helping the platform’s most popular writers like
or host in-person events and panels. And they should be sponsoring a Who Do You Know party too! Duh!
Okay let’s talk to PJ—
JB: Tell me a bit about your background in the food industry. How did you get into this space?
PM: I grew up in the F&B world but in the hospitality space. My family owned restaurants and a hotel for 115+ years now starting in Brooklyn at 451 Carroll St with Angelo’s Tavern which became Monte’s Venetian Room. A legendary place, the oldest Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. A lot of history in those red booths. My great uncle and grandfather purchased Gurney’s Inn in 1956 and built it up from a restaurant and a few cottages on the bluff to the resort, spa and institution that it is today. I grew up there, working every job from cabana boy to cook, bartender, bellman, valet, and so on as a kid. I went to college in the city and worked in nightlife at night which built my network, by day worked every freelance creative gig you can imagine, which taught me my technical skills, then eventually ran a small creative agency, Pool Projects, which focused on the hospitality space.
JB: What is the history of Monte's Fine Foods?
PM: To clarify, Monte’s Fine Foods is the wholesale side of the business which Is where I come back in the picture. After the family sold gurneys about 10 years ago, they opened a small restaurant upstate which is where I visited on a call from my aunt to help out creatively like I was doing at the time for other spaces in NY and LA. I thought I was coming up there to help build their social media, redesign the menus and website and bring in some young blood (make a playlist and keep the bar open). But when got there I was thrown an apron and put in the kitchen to flip burgers and stir sauce like I was 15 again.
The end of that shift was the first time I had the sauce in a few years and had the lightbulb moment to build a brand around it keep the legacy alive. I didn’t see anyone in line to carry on the family brand and name that meant so much to me which broke my heart. So I took up the offer, moved in above the restaurant and I began jarring the sauce by hand at night when the restaurant closed and sold it out of the trunk of my old Mercedes to farm stands and gourmet shops from the Hudson Valley, NYC and the Hamptons. It popped during pandemic after a collab with NOAH NYC then a NYTimes Plug. The rest is history.
JB: What makes Monte's so great?
PM: We make our sauce the same exact way we produced it in the restaurant for over 100 years. It drives our factory crazy because we only use the best American made tomatoes (not fake san marzanos), fresh produce (never dried) and cook in small batches. The quality of our ingredients and our unwavering dedication to consistency is what makes us great. We are truly a 100+ year old legacy and recipe but we take a disruptive and unorthodox approach to the category that is flooded with one dimensional heritage based or new age, better-for-you brands. We straddle the line of legacy and innovation constantly, with quality and consistency as the top priority. We also have a great time doing it. That’s what we sell, it’s not only a great product, but the intentions are pure and the history is true. Comfortably old, refreshingly new.
JB: Can you elaborate on your work with Pool Projects? What creative and brand decisions are key when opening a new venture?
PM: Pool Projects came to be from a happenstance walk-through of a dingy space on Lafayette street with my friend Dan Regan and a few people he worked with in nightlife at the time who had just took over the lease. We were both creatives at heart but making our bread and butter in nightlife at the time. We walked the space for sport and I thought the vision they had was weak. So we went back to my place on Mulberry street and put together a whole entire brand identity from logo to interior design in a few hours and sent it back to them with no real intentions. They hired us as creative directors right away. We then went on to consult in a sort of a la carte manner for a number of projects and clients, some which came to fruition, many which didn’t. But we made some decent money and it taught me a lot about creating a brand whether it was a physical space or just an entity. What I learned building other peoples visions and brands from both a creative and operational level, and my history growing up in the business all contributed significantly to launching and building Monte’s.
JB: What are the challenges of running a CPG brand?
PM: We need to set up a podcast or a therapy session if you really want to dive into this. Grocery in particular is a very archaic, gate kept industry. Barrier of entry is extremely high, costs of running the business even higher, margins are low, challenges are endless and competition is stiff (and well funded). I am very proud to be scrappy and the underdog. We have been in the business for nearly 5 years since I made my first jar, off a fraction of what many of my fellow founders have raised and spent. I run a strong, humble company which is growing organically, and recently exponentially, providing a quality product to people at the best price we can possibly provide. Monte's is now available across the country, in some of the best retailers in the nation, and we have never sacrificed the quality or recipe whatsoever. the Monte name is continuing to resonate beyond what any of my family (including me) could have ever imagined. I have already won.
So to answer your question, the challenges are privileges to me. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’m all in, and we are not going anywhere. That’s one thing about us Monte’s, we are consistent, stubborn and we don’t know how to stop working. My grandpa had a retirement party and went to work the next day. My dad barely made it 2 years in Boca until I got the call that we are opening at the Manor. It’s very much, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” *Sylvio Dante Voice*
JB: What can we expect from Monte's in 2024?
PM: On the sauce front, we have some major retail commitments I can’t speak on yet with an even more competitive price point with the same exact recipe, process and product. Hint: the only thing better than Monte’s is more Monte’s. We are currently slow rolling our dried pasta line at Pop Up Grocer exclusively since April 1st, and then online via the Monte’s Social Club Membership program we are launching top of next week, and then select retailers.
We are making the best American made pasta in custom designed shapes, and I’m thrilled to bring this product into the market from both a culinary, and health conscious perspective. We have some very special collaborations in the pipeline that crossover into the fashion, art, and back to food and beverage space. (Watch out for this Memorial Day.) It’s about to be our first summer at Monte’s @ the Montauk Manor, which im thrilled to be able to provide the Monte hospitality IRL for the new adapters of the brand. We will be continuing to pump out Merch, host activations, and exploring some additional physical iterations of Monte’s alongside like minded brands. Make it with Monte’s (our video series) has an all star line up of guests and recipes in the pipeline. We went deep, now we are going wide. Honestly, what can’t you expect from Monte’s in 2024. We are always coming in hot. Buckle up.
Ciao for now.
PJ was kind enough to send over some pasta, sauce, and my new favorite hat for the Summer. Let me just say the pasta was f*cking delicious and you can get a true sense of the care and attention that goes into each product.
Monte’s is building a cohesive brand world around their product line, paying careful attention to how they communicate across a diverse array of touch points.
I am stoked to see what’s next for the brand.
That’s all for this week, thank you so much for reading and supporting Who Do You Know. I have an incredible lineup of interviews on the way in the coming weeks.
Remember, it’s not what you know, but who you know.
Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
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