Barilla Uncovers a Forgotten Story of Pasticcino, the ‘First Cook of Formula 1’

A tribute to shared meals, Italian culture, and pasta that tastes like family

PARMA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Before the green lights turned on and the engines roared down the straights, a different kind of ritual was quietly taking shape in the racing paddocks of the 1970s. Not exactly what you’d expect in the adrenaline-fueled world of Formula 1. But hidden behind the scenes, away from the glare of the cameras, something beautiful was quietly happening. And it all began with a man nicknamed Pasticcino.

His real name is Luigi Montanini: a pastry chef with roots in the kitchens of Modena who found himself, quite by chance, cooking meals for the Formula 1 world. With two burners, a handful of pots, and a box of Barilla pasta, he created something bigger than food itself. He created moments of calm, warmth, and togetherness. In a world defined by rivalry, he brought a taste of family.

This true story is the heart of Barilla’s new global campaign, Tastes Like Family. Not just a look back, but a reminder that some things, like a shared plate of pasta, transcend time, language, and even sport.

“At Barilla, we’ve always believed that pasta is much more than food: it’s a way of creating closeness, wherever you are,” says Ilaria Lodigiani, Chief Category and Marketing Officer of Barilla. “We chose to open our new campaign with the story of Pasticcino not just because it’s a charming anecdote, but because it’s a true part of Italianity. A story that shows how food, even in a place as unexpected as the Formula 1 paddock, can turn strangers into family. It reflects something deeply rooted in our culture, and in Barilla’s purpose for nearly 150 years.”

Back in those early days of Formula 1, there were no hospitality traditions. Just tarmac, tension, and the occasional cold sandwich. Until Pasticcino began serving hot plates of pasta on car hoods and folding tables, feeding everyone from mechanics to legends of the track. His kitchen was improvised, his ingredients simple, but the familiar atmosphere? Unmistakable.

Mechanics, engineers, even drivers: they all came. Not just for the food, but for the feeling. Between races, they sat, they talked and laughed. For a few minutes, the competition faded. What remained was something deeply human: closeness.

“Formula 1 has always been a world of rivalry and competition,” says Paolo Barilla, Vice Chairman of the Barilla Group and former F1 driver. “But beyond that, there is space for friendship. Drivers, mechanics, engineers - they would sit down and share a meal. It was the food that created those moments of connection. A simple plate of pasta that made people feel at home, even far from it.”

Thrown into the Grand Prix world in 1979 without speaking a word of English or Spanish, Pasticcino improvised. He cooked for whoever was hungry and in need of company, using what he had and serving it where he could. Some meals were eaten on car hoods, others on folding chairs, but that really didn’t matter. It was the Italian recipe to share that family feeling: a few simple ingredients, cooked with care and shared without fuss. His story is more than a feel-good anecdote: it’s a little-known chapter of Italian cultural history, where two national icons, pasta and Formula 1, cross paths in the most human of ways.

“They’d come to me as if they were arriving at their mother’s house. They sat down. For a while, the track, the rivalry, the competition – all of it disappeared. And all that was important then was a plate of pasta, and the laughter of a shared moment,” Pasticcino recalls.

They may have been spontaneous, but those lunches brought people together in a special way. They were moments of real connection. And today, those simple meals become the emotional cornerstone of Tastes Like Family, Barilla’s new campaign that celebrates the beauty of everyday rituals and the timeless power of eating together.

As a family-owned company born in Parma and led by generations of brothers, Barilla has always believed that pasta is a promise of care passed from hand to hand, generation to generation. Tastes Like Family is a reminder that what brings us closer is often the simplest thing: a seat at the same table. Because the story of Pasticcino isn’t just a piece of Italian history. It’s part of Barilla’s history too: one made of real people, shared meals, and the belief that pasta can bring us together, wherever we are.

For more information, please visit: https://www.barilla.com/global/campaign/tastes-like-family