The Skinny
Our motto is
"Sit. Sip. Chow. Ciao."
Mamma Polenta is the first social enterprise Italian fast food pop up. Our goal is to provide healthful, mindful Italian foods and sauces with beyond sustainable ingredients.
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Paolo, the owner and head chef, has celiac disease, and as an Italian-Mexican kid this got confusing.
It led to a big love for polenta.
Growing up he was able to eat the wonderful stuff and was lucky to have his big, warm family to cook it. It's high time to provide that for an increasingly detached, socially and gastronomically, society.
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So this pop up restaurant will provide integrative sustainable food, critical love and a mindful fast food Italian experience with justice-based consumables. We source non-GMO, local and upcycled products. Check out some of the goods here.
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Our Mamma Polenta is a Polenta Person. We love a chance to highlight polenta people: people who want to get their corn back from the big guys, people who love what they eat and cook for their communities and people who live in this small, beautiful way. Look out for more polenta people, and more ways to engage in our Very Important Washingtonian program.
Contact Mamma Polenta
Washington born, raised, founded, created and provided. Seattle • Bellingham • Roslyn
The pop up can come to you, cater your gigs and supply wholesale. The Mamma can also talk about whatever you feel like talking about.
Look for the set up at the following locations. We serve til' the polenta runs out. Come by for cold press coffee, polenta and conversations about upcycled food, decentralization and social enterprise!
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Chophouse Row, each Wednesday @ 4 pm to 8 pm
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Seven Coffee Roasters in Ravenna
The Pop Up and food
Origins
Marco Giuseppe Bicchieri, my Nonno or grandfather (the old curmudgeon featured to the right), came to America only after escaping near death from the Nazi regime and fascist forces in his home country of Italy. His home of Forte dei Marmi was no longer safe as the axis powers threatened his family for colluding with the allies to sabotage the Mussolini regime. His family escaped by posing as traveling tennis players, stowing their belongings in tennis racket bags.
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In America he hoped to begin a business. It would be fast food Italian with all the products made of mais or corn. The name would be Mamma Polenta.
I wanted to open a milkshake and comic book shop. In hindsight it would never work – the comics would get horribly sticky. But I was eight-years-old. At a red light on 8th Avenue, I asked my Nonno what kind of business he would open if he could.
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He said:
“Fast food Italian. All the food would be made of mais. I would call it Mamma Polenta.”
