Mario Manfredini may be one of the most diverse firefighters you'll ever meet.
His job, as Berwyn's fire marshal, is to investigate the cause of the fire. He is also a battalion captain and directs the firefighters fighting the fires.
And in his spare time, Manfredini is busy preparing what is now a hugely popular brand of pasta sauce. The bottle was labeled “Fire Department Recipes” and had the slogan “From our home to your home.”
Manfredini, 54, who calls himself a “Berwyn resident,” has spent half his life working as a firefighter in his hometown.
He has been a battalion chief for 12 years, first as a firefighter and then as a lieutenant.
Mr Manfredini has been Berwyn's fire marshal for the past 10 years and has been investigating the cause of the fire. During new construction, we also inspect fire prevention equipment such as sprinklers.
“The fire will tell a story,” Manfredini said. “It takes you to the place where it started. Watch the smoke burn away.
“If you think about the wall, by itself, the areas that burnt intensely will turn white. That will give you directions.”
Despite the dangers of fighting fires, Manfredini called it “the best job in the world.”
“I love it. It's not scary to go to work every day,” Manfredini said.
His original plan was to fight crime. When he was in his 20s, he took criminal justice classes with dreams of becoming a police officer.
“I took the police exam every year,” he said. “In the off years, fire resistance tests are done. My brother [a police officer] “Take the fire test,” I said. I thank him every day. ”
He received a call from the Berwyn Fire Department in 1996. The rest is history. His office is located at the fire station at 6615 W. 16th St.
It's no easy task considering what he's seen over the years.
“There's a saying: 'I wish my mind could forget some of the things my eyes saw.'” Along the way, I saw some terrible things. Little children are dying,” Manfredini said.
Thankfully, that doesn't happen often.
He enjoys that his job is different every day. He never knows what will happen.
“Right before you came here, we installed a baby seat in the car for a woman who was due to give birth this week,” he told reporters.
Due to his busy schedule, Manfredini never expected to take up a side job preparing and selling pasta sauce.
But in a way, it was his job with the fire department that led him to the kitchen.
Manfredini fondly remembers his grandmother and mother Elma cooking at home for their “close-knit Italian family.”
“There was always something on the stove in someone's house. Always with fresh ingredients,” he said.
That's why I was taken aback one day at the fire station when I learned that a fellow firefighter had planned to use store-bought pasta sauce in the meals he was serving to firefighters.
Firefighters work 24 hours, then 48 hours off. Therefore, it is necessary to feed them during work hours.
“One of them was making lasagna. He went to buy bottled sauce. I was like, 'What?' [heck] Are you doing it? 'It's forbidden in our family. ”
Manfredini was in charge of cooking that day, and the dish received rave reviews.
His fellow firefighters liked his cooking. He became one of the best of the fire department's cooks during his service.
Mr. Manfredini also serves on the Berwyn Park District Board of Directors, which sponsors the pasta dinner each year.
When he first joined the board, he said he was shocked to learn that he had lost $3,000 on the previous year's dinner.
“How can you lose money selling spaghetti?” Manfredini said. “Well, we had the restaurant cook for us, but we didn't have enough people to attend. …We said, 'Please let us cook this year.' The first year I made about $3,000.
“We upped it a little bit. We have a band. We could make $10,000 a year on this. We haven't done that since COVID. ”
When word spread around Berwyn about his source, he decided to take the plunge.
He began jarring his pasta sauce and selling it at farmers markets, some stores, and online.
Local stores that carry it include Abito Cafe and Tony's Fresh Market in Berwyn, Lacquered Up Nail Spa in Oakbrook Terrace, and Riverside Foods in Riverside.
You can find him selling pasta sauce at the Downers Grove Farmers Market every Saturday from May through October.
can visit www.mariosmarinar.com To learn more about his sources.
Manfredini has been featured on local television shows such as “Windy City Live” and cooks for the WGN Morning News crew.
There's also a Mario's Marinara page on Facebook.
He sells the sauce for $8 to $12 a bottle.
Starting with a basic marinara sauce, they now also offer vodka sauce and spicy arrabbiata sauce. They also sell giardinera.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charities focused on first responders, fire camps, and other fire-related charities.
Manfredini makes his pasta sauce at his Oak Forest factory on weekends, paying close attention to ingredients and taste.
“I would love to [take it national],” he said. “Maybe I'll retire.”
It could be as early as three years.
“I want to get 30 points.” [years] And go,” he said.
And what if the pasta sauce company closes?
“I can say I had a good run. It was fun,” he said. “I met so many wonderful people along the way.”
Manfredini and his wife Yolanda live in Berwyn. They have one daughter and one granddaughter.
And yes, in case you were wondering, he is related to Lou Manfredini, the home repair expert on WGN radio (7:20 a.m.).
“His father and my father are cousins. I don't get anything for free. [home repair] Work is finished. Maybe I’ll see him at the funeral or the wedding,” Manfredini said with a laugh.
