America's First Pasta Company Might Be Cracker Barrel's Supplier

When you visit Cracker Barrel, chances are it isn't because you're craving pasta. The chain is well-known for biscuits and gravy, not fettuccine alfredo. But the Cracker Barrel kitchen always has to have one type of pasta in stock: elbow macaroni for its mac and cheese. According to Cracker Barrel's website, the restaurant gets its macaroni from "a family who's been making pasta since their great-great-great-grandfather started in Brooklyn in 1848." Though Cracker Barrel doesn't disclose the name of its family-run pasta supplier, there's enough evidence to suggest it might be a company called Zerega.

There are plenty of copycat recipes for Cracker Barrel's mac and cheese, with some claiming that sharp cheddar makes it taste the closest to the real deal, while others are sure it's colby jack. But the truth is that the brand of pasta Cracker Barrel uses makes as much of a difference as the cheese. 

Not many commercial pasta makers were around in 1848, the year Cracker Barrel highlights as when its supplier began making the product. In fact, there was only one in Brooklyn, where Cracker Barrel mentions the company was founded. This company was A. Zerega's Sons, now called Zerega; it was also the first pasta factory in the U.S. 

Though it was originally operated by its founder,  French immigrant Antoine Zerega, his children (and eventually his great-grandchildren) took over the business — details that align with Cracker Barrel's description.

According to the company's website, Zerega isn't a store brand; you won't find it in supermarkets. Instead of distributing its pasta to retailers, it supplies "food service operators" and "many of the country's largest pasta users." A restaurant chain with more than 660 locations in the U.S. fits this description, which could mean Cracker Barrel is one of Zerega's clients.

Back in 1848, there may have only been only one pasta manufacturer. But more than a century later in 1969 when Cracker Barrel first opened, there were plenty of other options. So why would Cracker Barrel go with a family business? The explanation likely has to do with the restaurant's core values.

Since first opening in Tennessee, Cracker Barrel has been dedicated to serving customers quality homestyle food, and that translates to using ingredients sourced in the U.S. The mac and cheese is no exception — elbow macaroni from the first pasta factory in America lives up to Cracker Barrel's high standard for ingredients.

Though Cracker Barrel's mac and cheese is so beloved that in 2016, the restaurant decided to release a version of the popular side dish for people to enjoy in stores, it's Kraft that manufactures the store-bought product. For a taste of the real deal, you'll have to dine-in at the restaurant.