Running a small business is not for the faint of heart. In recent years, small businesses have had to weather the pandemic, a national labor shortage, inflation and more. Yet, countless PA makers, farmers and producers have continued to pull through. Bob Ricketts, owner of Fasta & Ravioli Co., is one such Pennsylvania maker whose entrepreneurial spirit and sincere interest in his customer base have allowed his company to grow by rolling with the punches.
Bob Ricketts of Fasta & Ravioli Co.
Ricketts’ pasta and ravioli company was born out of a college project. As a student at Penn State, he created a marketing plan for class through the Center for Food Innovation, doing research and developing a brand. He acquired a four-pound pasta maker and played with recipes, asking people for input on everything from flavors to branding. His friend from kindergarten made Fasta & Ravioli’s simple yet compelling spiral logo, which he says “stood out from others in sensory analytics.” His carefully constructed brand soon became a reality when, with the support of his family, he opened up shop.
The original plan was to acquire a home food license and work out of his mother’s converted garage. However, Ricketts found a great spot to rent in downtown State College.
“It made sense,” he says. “It was the right amount of risk. We set up in the MLK Fraser Street Plaza, half a block from downtown. But, after a year and a half, we outgrew it.”
Ricketts and his team then found an old post office in Pleasant Gap, about a 10-minute drive from downtown, which they purchased and turned into a second location. Not long after, he established a presence at the Farmers Market in Hershey and has since added Broad Street Market, Harrisburg, and West Shore Market to his list of spots.
Having a diversified presence and connections within the community allowed Ricketts to stay afloat when calamity struck. On Christmas Eve, 2015, his first shop’s location burnt down. However, he had developed a partnership with a gluten-free bakery and, within a week, moved production there. Another friend lent him a machine, and Fasta & Ravioli was up and running again.
Bob Ricketts and others sellers at the farmers market
Then, the pandemic and inflation hit.
“It’s just a hard time to be a small business,” Ricketts says. “That’s it in a nutshell. I’m working all the farmers markets myself, which I didn’t necessarily do for years. It’s fine, but when you’re working in the business, you’re not working on the business.”
Nonetheless, Ricketts continues to evolve and has some new concepts in the works. He’s been growing hemp and working on CBD bitters products. He also hopes to launch vending machines for his frozen goods in a few markets, to expand the availability of his pasta and ravioli.
Speaking of those, the Fasta & Ravioli menu has evolved and diversified along the way, too. What started as primarily a pasta company called “Fasta & Salad Company” has shifted to producing over 500 pounds of ravioli a day. Ricketts says, “Raviolis were a little bit of a late addition, but it’s actually more of a ravioli business now. They provide more of a complete meal. You can have ravioli with red sauce and be done. Pasta needs a little more volume to complete it.”
Fasta & Ravioli’s 50+ revolving ravioli options are truly mouthwatering. They shift with the seasons and what Ricketts can get at farmers markets. This means flavors like chanterelle and garlic scape in the spring, tomato basil, caprese and shrimp and crab in the summer, butternut and lobster and corn in the fall, and short rib and beet and goat cheese in the winter.
It’s clear that Ricketts has fun with the products. A recent winter special was the Joe Pa Pierogi, a “raviogie” (ravioli-pierogie) packed with hearty blue potatoes from Ardry Farms, creamy Cooper’s cheese and savory onions. His personal favorite is the smoked mozzarella ravioli with spicy sausage and red and green peppers. “It’s gourmet simplicity,” he says. “Just delicious.”
Ricketts uses classic pasta doughs for his raviolis and pastas, which include spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, fusilli, rigatoni and more. He uses higher protein flours like durum and semolina and about 28-32% water, as they do in Italy. Unlike boxed pastas, Fasta & Ravioli uses egg in many of its products (though not in its vegan pastas). To flavor the pasta, Ricketts says you can use most any edible product ground into powder. “We use seaweed, saffron, pepper… The saffron is a bright yellow that, with seafood, is just beautiful. It’s a vibrant contrast with the colors of the lobsters, scallops and mussels.” He also uses squid ink for pastas, like a beautiful squid ink spaghetti he suggests paired with soft shell crab and cream sauce.
While he recognizes Italian standards for his products, Ricketts prefers to have a broader market appeal. He says, “Pasta is thought of as an Italian staple, but it’s really a world food. So, we try not to necessarily fit into an Italian-only niche.” Fasta & Ravioli offers up Samosa raviolis, New Orleans voodoo ravioli, chipotle fusilli, ramen and more, to invite a wider consumer base.
He also keeps his ears open to what customers are saying. “So much of our brand is the relationship with the customers. We ask, ‘How was what you had? How was the dish?’ Many dishes are customer ideas. We’re really listening to them.”
Jeremiah McClenahan, Executive Chef at Fasta & Ravioli Co.
Ricketts’ team includes classically trained French executive chef Jeremiah McClenahan, who has been with him for over a decade, and Terri Smith who is the primary point person at the West Shore shop.
Between them, they develop and execute the menu, hold down a broad farmer market presence, and stay involved with local charity events.
Bob Ricketts
“We try to be active in the community,” Ricketts explains. “I’m on the board of one of the farmers markets. People need to be active in their local food communities. Markets are run by vendors. At the end of the day, we’re just passionate about local food and food systems It’s about recognizing how much farther your dollars go when you keep them local.”
To try Fasta & Ravioli Co.’s pasta, ravioli and sauces for yourself, visit its main store in Pleasant Gap at 157 W. College Ave., Pleasant Gap, phone: (814) 359-3344, its second store at the West Shore Farmers markets at 900 Market St., Lemoyne, phone: (717) 737-9881 or one of the other locations where its products are sold. Follow Fasta & Ravioli on its Facebook and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date on their seasonal offerings, and check out its YouTube for recipe content.
And, for an extra treat, here’s one of Fasta & Ravioli Co.’s delectable recipes, Fasta pasta with smoked salmon, cucumber and dill sauce, a lovely option for a summer meal.
- Photos and recipe: Fasta & Ravioli Co.
