was a self-guided tour of Italy. My husband and I stayed at the Castellare Vineyard guesthouse in the heart of the Chianti region, taking long day trips from our home base in Castellini around the rolling hills of Tuscany.

One day, while searching for a recom­mended trattoria, we decided to pull off the road and grab a late afternoon snack. I was five months pregnant with our first child at the time, so pausing for untimely food breaks was standard behavior.

We pulled our car over to a non-descript, anonymous-looking roadside café where a simple pasta dish looked like a possibility. We glanced at the menu, unable to understand any of it, and simply pointed and said with smiles, “baby hungry!” Within a few short minutes, two plates of hot penne pasta lightly tossed in what appeared to be their house tomato sauce were placed on our table with the typical Tuscan-style crusty bread and olive oil.

My very first bite was the birth of our favorite food experience in Italy—a sweet yet spicy tomato and olive oil sauce that clung to the pasta. Thank you baby Ryland!

When we returned home to our restaurant, Pastabilities of Armory Square in Syracuse, NY, we immediately described our new favorite sauce to everyone. Together with our kitchen team, we tried a few variations until one matched our experience. We named it “Spicy Hot Tomato Oil,” soon to be nicknamed “Hot Tom.”

It was a house classic right from the start. Today, Pasta’s Daily Spicy Hot Tomato Oil® has become not only our top-selling menu item, but a favorite take-home sauce within our region of Central New York.

30 plus years and two chil­dren later, we hope you enjoy this sauce as much as we do!

—Karyn