New Jersey Couple’s Appearance On The Food Network Helped Their Pasta Company Reach New Heights

A television network competition offer was needed to help revitalize an entrepreneur’s fledging business.

According to Scripps News, AJ Sankofa, a New Jersey chef, was notified via his Instagram account about The Great Food Truck Race competition. The Food Network asked him if he and his company ESO Artisanal Pasta would like to audition for a spot on the show. The rest, as they say, is history.

That opportunity helped the business in a way that can only be measured by including Sankofa and his company in the competition. He and his wife, Kristin Gambarian, appeared on the 15th season of the show in 2022, and it was the spark they needed to stay on level ground.

After being invited to audition and surviving through several rounds, their team, which included their friend Matt McFadden, was accepted into the competition. The trio was given their own food truck to go up against other teams of chefs in the competition. None of them had experienced working within the confines of a food truck, so they learned as they went about the competition. Until then, they didn’t realize that it isn’t as easy to fix artisanal pasta in a tight space. ESO was the first team to serve pasta on The Great Food Truck Race.

After being flown to California and competing between February 2022 and April 2022, the team came in third place in the competition, and from there, business took off!

ESO Artisanal Pasta can be found on a side street in Morristown, New Jersey. The shop is only open two days a week, on Fridays and Saturdays. This is due to the couple cooking and hosting parties throughout the week. They rent out a commercial kitchen at a restaurant 45 minutes away to make their products. They also make their money doing private parties as well.

Appearing on The Great Food Truck Race has helped their online business. Their customers and fans of the show can order home kit pasta that sells in the $150 range so they can serve an artisanal meal at home.

Now that business has picked up, and they are doing well, Sankofa and Gambarian plan to save to buy a home and open their own restaurant business.