3 minute read
Marcella Marino: Young Entrepreneur and Founder of MarRosa’s Old World Cuisine
People In Places feature by Sheila Turner-Hilliard
Photos courtesy of Marcella Marino
Meet Marcella Rose Marino, a 21-year-old rising Senior at Penn State and founder of MarRosa’s Old World Cuisine, whose marinara sauce and vodka sauce can be found online and in 46 stores across the tri-state area.
Marcella Marino at Colonial Village Meat Market of Manoa
While most 21-year-old college students are still trying to figure out what they want to do for a living, Marcella knew from a young age that she wanted to own her own business. She remembers watching her dad run his own company and she liked the freedom it afforded him.
Marcella was born and raised in Newtown Square and graduated from Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr. With her end goal of becoming a business owner in mind, she was accepted to the Smeal College of Business at Penn State’s main campus, where she is pursuing a degree in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship with a minor in International Business. Her decision to attend Penn State was deliberate. “I wanted to go to a big school where I could make connections and get involved,” Marcella said. “Penn State is known for their strong alumni network, and I want to be a part of that, too.”
MarRosa's Old World Cuisine Marinara Sauce is sold online and in many area stores
Growing up in an Italian family, Marcella has always known what "good" Italian food tastes like, but she never found a marinara and vodka sauce that she enjoyed. “I always felt they were too acidic for me,” she said. After experimenting with imported tomatoes from Italy and various cooking times, she finally found the right blend for her marinara. Marcella then turned her attention to improving vodka sauce. While other store-bought brands used whey protein, she found that using heavy cream resulted in a creamier texture, less acidity and a natural orange hue.
With her products now in place, it was time to come up with a name and a logo design. The name, MarRosa’s was easy because Marcella was named after her great-grandmother, Marcella Rose, who had been born exactly 100 years earlier. Marcella was struggling with the logo design until one day, she noticed a framed picture of her own silhouette that was taken in Disney World when she was just five years old. Something clicked, and Marcella knew it was the perfect logo for her business.
Silhouette of Marcella that became MarRosa’s logo
Marcella admits that this business venture came a lot sooner than expected. “When the pandemic hit, all my classes went virtual,” she explained. “I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands, so I decided to just get started with the business instead of waiting until after college.” She took full advantage of Penn State’s LaunchBox, a program that provides a wide array of free resources for entrepreneurs and innovators. Marcella said, “LaunchBox helped me through the process of forming my LLC and filing the government paperwork I needed to trademark my logo.”
MarRosa's Old World Cuisine Vodka Sauce is sold online and in many area stores
When asked what advice would she give to other young entrepreneurs, Marcella said, “It’s all about forming relationships and asking for help.” She said she’s grateful for all the advice and guidance she’s received from her Penn State professors and from her father, who helped her start the process of contacting specialty food manufacturers and distributors.
MarRosa’s marinara over pasta
MarRosa’s sauces are available in many local stores such as Gentile’s Market in Newtown Square, Colonial Village Meat Market in Havertown, Worrell’s Butcher Shop in Malvern and Valley Forge Flowers in Wayne.
Marcella will also be selling her Marinara and Vodka sauces at the Newtown Square Farmers Market on July 9th and July 23rd. And you can find her products online at www.MarRosasOldWorldCuisine.com.
So, what’s next? Marcella said that her Tomato Basil sauce is coming soon, and she’s working on adding a variety of pizza sauces as well. Sounds delicious!
