Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/221505
Mia Sebastiani, in the foreground, is aided in the kitchen by her mother Nancy. Together, they've launched Mia's Kitchen, a line of pasta sauces and oils that are available nationally at retail. "I've always been a foodie," comments Mia. "The kitchen has always been the center of the house, and it's been really cool that as I get older, I've moved from watching my mother cook, to being in the kitchen myself." Donny Sebastiani has taken the family name to a new label, Don & Sons, which he hopes to use to tell a story with each glass. "The wines are from Sonoma, where our family has made wine for over 100 years, he explains. "With Don & Sons, we had the ability to create a fresh start for the Sebastiani name, yet we're able to convey a sense of family and history with these wines." Mia's Kitchen pasta sauces have become a smash for the youngest of this generation's Sebastianis. The brand is on track to increase its year-over-year sales by 100% in 2013 and has broken into the top 50 out of 500 pasta sauces according to Spaghetti Sauce IRI. Mia has worked hard to perfect these recipes, including Nonni's Special, a traditional Sebastiani family recipe. Donny jokes that he brought an "obnoxiously huge" bottle of the Don & Sons Pinot Noir as the brand's flagship wine. "This wine always makes me think about the guy on the second date. Anyone can get through a first date, but for the guy who wants to impress a girl on the second date without going overboard, this is the wine for him. He'll be pleasantly surprised—and so will she!" december 2013 / the tasting panel / 65 TP1213_064-103.indd 65 11/23/13 8:34 PM