Gina Sicilia of Gina's Skinny Italian on Turning a Pandemic Cooking Outlet Into Grocery Shelves
Gina Sicilia is the founder of Gina's Skinny Italian, a Nashville-based packaged-food company built around better-for-you Italian food. Its low-carb penne is sold online, and its sauces have reached Publix and Kroger shelves.
Before starting the company, Gina spent 20 years as an independent singer-songwriter, an experience that taught her how to build something from the ground up and keep going through rejection and uncertainty. In 2026 the brand won Nashville's NEXT Award in Consumer Goods.
In this Q&A, Gina shares how a pandemic cooking outlet turned into a food brand, what it takes to win over retail buyers and then help shoppers find the product once it is on the shelf, and the packaging lesson she learned the hard way.
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Q: You spent 20 years as a singer-songwriter before starting a food company. What made you take the leap, and what from the music world ended up being useful?
During the pandemic, I needed a new creative outlet while quarantined in my East Nashville house, so I poured that energy into cooking - even finding ways to merge it with music. What started as an outlet gradually grew into something bigger. Over time, I noticed a gap in the market: a dedicated brand of better-for-you Italian food across categories. That became the vision for Gina's Skinny Italian.
Twenty years as an independent singer-songwriter taught me how to build something from the ground up, put myself out there, and keep going through rejection and uncertainty. Those skills have been incredibly useful as a founder. The creativity is still very much there - I just have another way to express it now.
Q: Getting your sauces onto Publix and Kroger shelves is a big step. What was the hardest part of landing retail, and what would you do differently?
The hardest part is getting someone to take a chance on something I've built as a small, independent brand. I believe in my products, but I have to help a buyer see why they belong on the shelf and why customers will come back for them. That takes patience, follow-through, and a willingness to keep putting myself out there.
I'm incredibly proud to be in Publix and Kroger, but getting onto the shelf is the beginning. I also have to help people discover my products once they're there. If I were starting again, I'd put more emphasis earlier on planning and budgeting for that support. It's easy to get so focused on getting the "yes" that I underestimate everything I'll need to do afterward.
Q: What's one early mistake with production or packaging you'd want other founders to avoid?
One lesson I learned the hard way was assuming that approved packaging artwork meant I was ready for production! I had a pasta packaging run where the film was wound incorrectly for the equipment, which created extra work and delays. It was a technical detail I didn't know to ask about until it became my problem.
Now, I make a point of having my packaging supplier and manufacturer confirm the specifications directly with each other before committing to a full print run. My advice to other founders is to check everything - from the artwork and nutrition information to how the packaging will actually run on the machine. I'm much more comfortable asking the questions that feel basic now. Catching a problem before production is a lot easier than fixing it afterward.
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