Cantisano's parents, Giovanni and Assunta Cantisano, started Ragu as a "cottage industry" in their Avery Street home in 1937. The parents would cook the sauce, and their children, including Ralph, delivered it to neighborhood stores.

Who started Ragu?

"In the past a meal of pasta was considered Italian, but now it's become American," said John Gennari, the marketing manager for Ragu Foods, which was started in a Rochester kitchen in 1937 by two Italian immigrants, Giovanni and Assunta Cantisano.

When did Ragu come on the market?

A SAUCE SIMMERED IN TRADITION

From that first jar sold from the Cantisano's front porch in 1937 to the one in your pantry, RAGÚ has been a household staple for over 80 years. Today, you can still enjoy the sauce that's simmered in tradition.