Meet Nicolas Del Guidice-piña

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicolas Del Guidice-piña. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Nicolas, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story! I developed my ability to take risks from my family. My father immigrated to the United States from Santiago, Chile at a time when Pinochet was still in power, he pursued his dream of becoming a filmmaker. My mother took a risk and moved us to Rome, Italy when I was a young child, pursuing her dream to raise me in another country and her develop further as a painter. I was born in Chicago and have moved around a lot. I’ve had the privilege to live on three continents and attended school, develop relationships and regularly visit all three of my home countries. Having moved, uprooted, and began a new so many times, I don’t fear what I don’t know and I have developed confidence in my ability to take risks such as with my business Romolo & Remo. I began this journey in a time of huge uncertainty, I left my job as a child therapist during a global pandemic and deiced I had the confidence in myself to take a risk and launch my business in one of the most competitive spaces there is, packaged foods.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am the chef and owner of Romolo & Remo, a packaged foods brand specializing in Roman-style artisanal tomato sauces and pesto. The creation of the brand is largely inspired by my own story of growing up and in Rome and moving to City Heights, San Diego as a teenager to attend high school, etc. in the United States, which led to the creation of our slogan is Raised in Rome – Made in City Heights, San Diego. The sauces themselves are based on family recipes and modern Roman cuisine, they are always vegan, gluten free and without any added sugars or preservatives. Currently, I personally do every part of the cooking and canning process by hand, as well as all sales. I jokingly describe myself as “the one man army.” Romolo & Remo has become a well-known brand at farmers markets throughout the county. You can find us every weekend, rain or shine, on Saturdays at the Cardiff and Vista Farmers Markets and on Sundays at the La Jolla and Leucadia Farmers Markets. We are also breaking into the retail space, currently our sauces are stocked at 10 grocers and specialty food markets all over San Diego County!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back at my journey and thinking about advice for the next business owner there are three themes that stand out to me, consistency, patience and authenticity!
One thing I hear time and time again from business owners, particularly in the farmers market space, is be consistent. You have to show up and do the work every single time, even in the rain, etc. and especially through any fear of failure. At the end of the year, or end of your season, you’ll look back on the data and can know confidently you showed up and did your best, numbers will often reflect that dedication.
Something I’ve learned recently, and it goes hand in hand with consistency, is the power of patience. Of course go after your dreams and pursue them with enthusiasm, but know what your limits are. The biggest slice of the pie isn’t always the best slice if you have no way to eat it all, it’ll just go to waste! Take on what you can handle and be patient, add consistency and it equals growth!
Lastly, authenticity! Be your truest self with your brand and tell your story -you are your most distinguishing factor!

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

In the past year we have grown exponentially! We’ve doubled our retail accounts and sauce production, we have nearly doubled our weekly farmers market presence and we’ve hired our first employee! We are currently projected to double again in the next 12 months! We are coming for the “San Diego’s Favorite Sauce” title!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.romoloremo.com
• Instagram: @romoloremo.sd

Image Credits

@FourlanePhoto
@CayleeMPhotos
@ohsnapstudios
@Marvin_Martinez94