History

It all began in 1896 when young Teresa Marzetti arrived in the United States from Florence, Italy, and started her small Italian restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.

Marzetti's became a local favorite especially among The Ohio State University students, and grew to become a four star restaurant as well as one of the finest dining experiences in the Midwest.

Customers particularly enjoyed Teresa's Creamy Coleslaw and French dressings and were often seen leaving the restaurant with bottles of their freshly made favorites. By 1955, the dressings had become so renowned that the upstairs of the restaurant became a full-scale factory. Thus the Marzetti brand of salad dressings found its way into grocery stores throughout Ohio.

After Teresa Marzetti's death in 1972, the restaurant closed forever, but her passion for quality still lives in Marzetti's many salad dressings and other specialty food products.

Today, as the Specialty Food Group of Lancaster Colony Corporation, Marzetti has plants across the United States that make an expanded family of quality food products.

Every day, Marzetti's quality products are found on the dinner tables of millions of consumers, as well as in well-known restaurant chains across the country. America’s love for Marzetti products is a fitting tribute to Teresa Marzetti's pioneering Columbus restaurant.

View the below videos to learn more about important people and events in Marzetti's history.