If you've ever dreamt of coming home to nonna-style, slow-cooked Italian comfort food, Thank Frank sauce is the next best thing, delivering old-school know-how gussied up for modern tastes.

Launched by sisters Michelle and Natalie Saturnino, Thank Frank sauce has grown from a COVID-era idea into a full-fledged business.

"Our parents have had Scaccia, a restaurant downtown, for over 30 years. [My sister and I have] always worked there," says Michelle.

With the restaurant closed during the pandemic, the team offered takeout to the local community. "A lot of the feedback during that time was that they wanted a jarred sauce," she adds.

Well-versed in the type of mindful cooking that turns great ingredients into soulful Italian dishes, the sisters set out to create a prepared sauce that tasted homemade.

"It took over a year of making it, sampling it, going back to the drawing board and really wanting to produce something that tastes like what we eat at home," Michelle explains.

In the end, Thank Frank sauce was born. Paying homage to Saturnino matriarch, Franca, it offers modern (and busy) cooks respite from hours in the kitchen.

"[Thank Frank is] based on tradition but it's made for modern day," explains Michelle. "We're working single moms. We want something that tastes amazing but you're not having to sit there for hours making it because none of us have the time."

Made without preservatives or fillers, Thank Frank sauce is free of garlic and the type of spices found in other brands that can cause digestive distress. Currently, the lineup includes three flavours — classic, (sweetened simply with carrot), rosé, and all-beef bolognese.

"After trying literally everything that was on the market, we knew we had something special," explains Michelle, adding that the team's classic sauce is "just super simple. We slow cook it for hours in small batches to make it this smooth and sweet sauce."

Still very much a family affair, the sauce is made at the family restaurant, with the sisters handling all of the planning, packaging, marketing, and more.

"We would love to be in a large facility and be everywhere," says Michelle.

Available online, at Scaccia, and at a smattering of small local retailers, including Saudade and Tiny's General Store, Michelle adds that expansion across Canada is definitely the goal.

"We're Italian. Food is such a big part of our culture," says Michelle. "So much is put into what we're eating, and the quality. It's about togetherness and connecting."

A sauce good enough for a family that has "never ever" bought the jarred variety, Thank Frank Sauce will challenge your opinion of what a prepared sauce can deliver.