Brothers Mario and Pasquale opened one of Iowa’s first pizzerias in Fort Dodge in 1959. What to call it? The brothers were all about keeping the family peace so they flipped a coin to see whose name should be on the sign. Looks like Pasquale won.
The restaurant took off and the locals took to calling the brothers Marvin and Pat. Eventually Marvin became the sole owner and moved the pizzeria to Humboldt, Iowa, where it still operates successfully.
In 1984, Marvin started Pasquale’s Food Service, Inc. and, along with his son, Dave, soon began producing and distributing Pasquale’s Frozen Pizza to retail stores. Marvin did a lot of experimenting to get those pizza ingredients just right so he could match the taste he developed in the restaurant.
Dave says it’s the sauce that sets Pasquale’s apart from the competition. It’s based on the recipe from Mario and Pasquale’s mother Rose, who was born and raised in Italy. Then Mario added his own touches to perfect this proprietary sauce.
Dave grew up in the family business and became the owner in 1996. Thanks to Dave’s leadership, Pasquale’s continued to grow and develop new pizza varieties.
In 2022, Jenni and husband Matt purchased the business—becoming the third generation of the family in the pizza business. Jenni and Matt are building on the legendary reputation and great taste that Pasquale’s is known for while continuing to innovate with new product offerings and flavors.
It’s appropriate that the business has stayed in the family. After all, pizza is a together meal, meant to be shared with the ones you love. Try a Pasquale’s Pizza and make a tasty memory with your family and friends. You’re gonna love it!