As demand for convenience food continues, it’s gratifying to know that some snacks foods can be made with care, love, and time-honored traditions without sacrificing flavor or healthiness.

Papa Lena’s Healthy Gourmet Vegetable Chips are not only delicious, but steeped in a rich family history now united with modern technology and a powerful team headed by husband and wife CEO’s Danny & Marie Lena…

Des Plaines, IL (Chicago suburb) :-1965

Grandpa’s Legacy

As a child, Danny Lena recalls helping his Grandpa, “Papa”, work in his huge garden picking the last of the autumn harvest, especially the hundreds of little green Italian Melrose peppers. Grandpa came to America from Ulta Mundo Calabria, Italy with only some change in his pocket and a secret recipe handed down from his father for making or  “crispy peppers”. He and Danny would string the peppers together in a garland and hang them to dry for several months in Papa's shedini, “little shed”.  In December, the Lena family would remove the peppers from the strings and prepare them for the Christmas holiday. Only Grandpa was allowed to cook the peppers, as this was a once-a-year treat and the supply was limited.  As the incredible aroma filled the air, everyone would rush down the stairs to devour all the crispy delights!

As Grandpa grew older he taught Danny the secrets of preparing and cooking the peppers. After “Papa” passed away,  Danny continued to perfect the recipe for family and friends, discovering that red bell peppers were even more flavorful and that the prep time could drastically be reduced by roasting them in his cherished Viking oven.

Summer - 2004 - 2:00 AM:  Crickets and Chips

Outside in the thick humid air, the crickets bellow their melodious summer song, whipping into a passionate crescendo every few minutes. Inside Danny & Marie Lena’s small three-bedroom flat in Chicago’s East Village neighborhood, the savory aroma of fresh roasted red bell peppers slowly roasting inside their convection oven fills the evening air.  The delicious, bright red bell peppers just picked from his father’s garden in Elmwood Park are on their way to becoming mouth watering crispy, crunchy, Italian snack chips that the entire Lena family will enjoy.

Summer - 2004 - The Next Evening:  Old Friends and Aged Wine

Sitting out on their small red painted deck with their closest friend Christine- a bottle of aged Italian Chianti sits on the table between Danny & Marie Lena. After 24 years of marriage, it’s obvious that this couple is still very much in love.  The glow of the city warms the neighborhood and creates a relaxed and happy atmosphere.  Eating the Italian snacks with their antipasto and reflecting on their lives, the three close friends start a conversation about new beginnings. As more wine is poured, they begin to plan the next phase of their lives and business – one idea, that Danny uses the process that his grandfather taught him and that he now perfected to start a food business. The Lena’s begin to discuss the possibility of bringing their delicious chips they now make for the family and friends to gourmet food shops and eventually to the world.  Could they possibly do it or was the wine just making it seem like a possibility?  Being fearless entrepreneurs and running several successful businesses in the past, these food aficionados decided they could.

October-2004  Frank Sinatra and Papa Lena’s:
The big test comes at an open-air Italian festival where people are asked to purchase a package of roasted red pepper chips. Will this Italian treat sell in a public venue next to the other food choices? Too late now…the booth is paid for and the product has been made. The gates open and the performers start their tribute to the Rat Pack. As fast as you can say, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., the product is sold out…there is nothing left. It is glaringly obvious that more space and a professional kitchen is needed. The Lena’s find a starting chef’s dream… a shared use kitchen space provided by Kitchen Chicago.

Fall - 2005 – 1438 W. Chicago Ave.:
With hundreds of personal hours already invested, thousands of personal dollars invested and a growing fan base, including a prominent food critic from the Chicago Tribune - the first investor arrives just in time to help open a true production facility on Chicago Avenue!  The product line has grown from Roasted Red Pepper Chips to Bodacious Beet Chips, So-Good Sweet Potato Chips, Roasted Red Pepper Chip Dips and salad dressings, Creamy Dreamy Coconut Cake, Chocolate Chip Banana Cake and Luscious Limóncello Lemon Cake!  Danny’s authentic Sicilian Pizza is also added as the neighborhood from around the production facility knocks on the unopened doors clamoring for product!

This is the story of the start of Papa Lena's Healthy Foods; it is a story of a dream started by Danny & Marie Lena based on a process and recipe that has been handed down through the generations.  It is a story of a dream that has quickly become a reality.  This is the story of the next 'big thing' to hit a stagnant snack food industry that is hungry for a change and new ideas!  This is the story of Papa Lena's. Granpa would be proud.