About Us
Zia Pia is a boutique importer specializing in fine, authentic regional Italian foods. Our suppliers are non-industrial, family-owned producers who combine traditional principles of authenticity and flavor with Italian design and style to create superior products, beautiful on the inside and out.
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” – Federico Fellini
Zia Pia was born in 2013 out of Victoria Custodi’s love of great food and Italian culture.
Victoria, whose father was born in Puglia, and who has traveled extensively and lived throughout Italy, grew up appreciating the pure flavors of simple authentic Italian home cooking: real, fresh extra virgin olive oil, pasta, fresh garden vegetables. She named the company for her beloved aunt, or "Zia", Pia Custodi from Orvieto, Umbria. As extraordinary a woman as she was a cook, Pia seemingly effortlessly prepared her multi-course, hours-long meals from her tiny, 1950s-era kitchen and proudly served them, one dish at a time, to visiting family and friends. Today, Zia Pia aims to honor her memory and embody the values she held dear: simplicity, care, and quality ingredients.
Buon appetito!
Victoria has lived and traveled throughout Italy and has continuously been impressed by the Italian obsession with quality and pride in craftsmanship. Italian quality and design are behind every product that she hand selects, with a focus both on what’s inside - whether olive oil, tomato sauce or artisan pasta - and the aesthetics of the package design. Finding beauty in the every day seems to be a natural way of being in Italy, and in the Italian lifestyle. Personal connection and savoring simplicity in the midst of chaos may be what is behind the grounding and affirming rituals like “pausa pranzo.” Connecting with others over a plate of nourishing food is a daily reminder of the important things in life..
As we all get swept up in daily tasks, let’s stop and treat ourselves to a burst of beauty found right in the pantry...
...the bright, unmistakable flavor of authentic, fresh, extra virgin olive oil, the al dente bite of a steaming plate of pasta, the deep complexity of an aged balsamic… it’s all right here for us to enjoy, today. Zia Pia serves fine specialty gift, home and food retailers and restaurants, as well as home cooks everywhere. We look forward to sharing our foods with you.
“Even more than its Roman ruins or Renaissance art or the plain fact that lemons, tomatoes, and capers burst with more flavor on this boot-like stretch of Mediterranean soil than anywhere else on the planet, it’s the everyday life of Italy that makes it so addictive and extraordinary.” - Chris Bollen, Departures Magazine
Our team
Victoria Custodi
Founder
Victoria is half-Italian and grew up appreciating the pure flavors of simple authentic Italian home cooking. Zia Pia is the result of the combination of her greatest passions: great food, Italian heritage, travel and business. She believes in the nutritional and cultural value of these foods, the pleasures they bring and way of life they represent. It’s a way to honor the memory of her beloved Zia Pia from Orvieto, who was a continuous source of inspiration in the kitchen and in life.
Alessandra Addati
Administration and Operations
Originally from Naples, Alessandra brings her passion for food and unique attention to detail and quality to her work every day! She loves working with customers to recommend the best products for their needs.
Suzanne Alston
Account Management
Suzanne is from Georgia where her love of food and cooking was inspired by watching her grandmother make biscuits from scratch. She first pursued a career in medicine but found she could not resist the pull of the kitchen and graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, NC. She loves all types of cuisine and finds inspiration across all tradition, though she may have a special fondness for Southern (her roots) and Italian (what she gets to do every day).
Alena Hopper
Online Platform Specialist
Alena started with Zia Pia in 2022, working across the operations and office teams to ensure the accuracy of online information and shipment processing. In her spare time Alena enjoys anime, going to movies, and taking care of her horses, her dog, and her miniature donkey.
Laurel Evans
Product and Marketing
Laurel Evans is a cookbook author, recipe developer, blogger, and culinary guide based in Milan, Italy. Fully immersed in a foreign culture, she has discovered in food both a common language and a symbol of home. She brings to the team her love for Italian food and culture, as well her as extensive experience in digital communications and content creation.
Jeanine Kutil
Project Manager, Marketing
Jeanine is an amateur home chef, avid foodie, traveler, and health and wellness obsessive. Growing up she learned to cook traditional Italian food from her Mother and Grandmother, who was born in Trani. She is Victoria's cousin and they share a big Italian family. She previously worked in the corporate world for a decade before turning her efforts over to Zia Pia.