Frank Sinatra Sold His Mom’s Famous Marinara In The ’80s – Here’s How You Can Still Buy It

Frank Sinatra never hid where his food loyalties lay. He often said his favorite cook was his mother, Natalina “Dolly” Sinatra, and her pasta sauce held a special place in his heart. Frank Sinatra’s mom’s marinara was more than a meal to him. It represented home, heritage, and the Italian traditions he grew up with.

Over time, Frank Sinatra’s mom’s marinara moved beyond the family kitchen and into pop culture. Sinatra proudly shared the recipe in interviews, on television, and even in a celebrity cookbook. According to Yahoo! Entertainment, that familiar sauce eventually became the centerpiece of an ambitious business venture late in his life.

How Frank Sinatra Turned His Mother’s Recipe Into a Product

Frank Sinatra’s mom’s marinara followed him for decades as he shared the recipe publicly. He demonstrated it on The Dinah Shore Show and included it in the 1980 cookbook Harmony in the Kitchen. By then, Sinatra had cooked and talked about the sauce for years, always crediting his mother as the inspiration.

In the late 1980s, Sinatra partnered with Armanino Foods of Distinction Inc. to bring the sauce to market. The product launched under the name Artanis, which is Sinatra spelled backward. While the branding leaned heavily on Sinatra’s fame, the foundation remained Frank Sinatra’s mom’s marinara, reintroduced as part of a four-sauce lineup.

Why the Sauce Faded Despite Sinatra’s Star Power

Frank debuted his sauce line during a 1989 concert in California. The event blended music and marketing, with tomato basil sauce served at the venue’s restaurant. By 1990, the jars appeared in grocery stores, first in California and later in other regions, priced at $2.59. Today, you can still buy the famous marinara on eBay.

Despite the fanfare, Frank Sinatra’s mom’s marinara did not survive long on shelves. By 1992, the parent company pulled the product due to weak sales. Unlike other celebrity food brands, the sauce failed to build lasting momentum. Today, original jars resurface on resale sites, valued as memorabilia rather than meals.