A young Teresa Marzetti, and her husband Joseph, arrived in the United States in 1896,
and opened a small, Italian restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.
Teresa and Joseph worked for Joseph’s father, John Marzetti, a prominent Italian real-estate developer, retail merchant and confectioner. After the death of John in 1899 and Joseph in 1911, Teresa was left to run the restaurant on her own. She grew Marzetti’s to become a local favorite, especially among The Ohio State University students, and soon earned a four-star distinction and the reputation of being one of the finest dining experiences in the Midwest
Customers become obsessed.
While all of the good food Teresa served made Marzetti’s a popular restaurant, it was the Creamy Coleslaw and French dressings that were literally the talk of the town. Customers rarely left the restaurant without bottles of their freshly made favorites. By 1955, Teresa’s dressings had become so renowned that the upstairs of the restaurant became a full-scale factory. Soon after, the Marzetti brand of salad dressings found its way into grocery stores throughout Ohio. And practically every household refrigerator!