What started as a high school side job in the heart of Springfield eventually helped Talya Pessolano kick-start her own business in South Boston.
Pessolano is at the forefront of The Dirty Italian, a business that specializes in gourmet charcuterie, boxes and grazing tables. She has since turned her traveling business into a permanent residence, drawing inspiration right from home.
Growing up in Springfield, Pessolano worked out of a close family friend’s business, a downtown favorite many know as Frigo’s Gourmet Foods.
Under the wing of Joe Frigo, who Pessolano refers to as Uncle Joe, Pessolano slowly worked her way up the establishment, starting from selling concessions to eventually falling into a management position at just 19.
Frigo’s was where she realized she wanted to make a career out of gourmet foods.
“Over the years I always knew I wanted to study business. And I think working at Frigo’s really put my mindset in that space. And you know, ever since I was like 16 or 17, I wanted to have my own store,” Pessolano told MassLive.
That dream, however, was put to the side for a while.
After earning her master’s degree in business, Pessolano moved to South Boston in 2014 and got a job in software sales. But she always found herself coming back to Frigo’s.
“Every single holiday or any vacation day I had from, I came home to Springfield to work at Frigo’s,” she said. “I never let go of the brand.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the company she was working at let go of many employees, some of whom Pessolano had to fire herself, changing how she saw her current workforce.
“That really put like a damper on how I viewed the position that I have,” she recalled.
But in her free time, she was encouraged by a friend to post her charcuterie boards on social media.
Soon enough, a South Boston blogger caught site of her work, reposting to their own page. Overnight, Pessolano had 2,000 followers and knew she needed to start an LLC of her own.
It was not long before Pessolano found herself on a flight to Italy for vacation, which offered her a learning experience to start a new chapter.
“I ended up booking Italy based off of the charcuterie business. I was there to learn new recipes for pesto and bolognese. I went to different cheese mongers, went to different vineyards and learned how to make my own olive oil,” she said. “I really wanted to make it a mini vacation, but also a really in-depth learning process for me to bring back to the States.”
Upon returning in November of 2022, she sat Uncle Joe down and told him what she wanted to do with her life.
“I said, ‘I’m going all in; I’m ready to open a store.’ And he said ‘alright, let’s go.’ And he literally has been by my side the whole way,” she said.
On Saturday, Pessolano will officially open the doors to The Dirty Italian in South Boston, still holding where she started from near to her heart.
“I’m truly turning it into my own version of Frigo’s where there’s prepared foods, imported meats and cheeses, pastas and more. Eventually, I want to open it up to start charcuterie classes on site and down the line I want to get my own wine in there,” she said.
The name of the business also goes back a long way to her time at Frigo’s.
When Pessolano finished school, the Frigo’s asked her what she wanted as a graduation gift. There was only one thing Pessolano was sure of.
“Just name a sandwich after me,” she said.
Pessolano recalled a Frigo’s frequent customer who always came, asking for a classic Italian sub — but to make it dirty. Thus, Frigo’s “Talya’s Dirty Italian” was born. And Pessolano took the name The Dirty Italian for her own, long-awaited business.
“It’s comical now because you know, people would see me and be like ‘oh my God, I know her.’ Now, now I walk the streets of Southie and people are like, ‘are you the dirty Italian?!’” she laughed.
Now, Pessolano is in the full swing of being a full-time business owner, hoping to bring something “entirely new” to the south side of the city, thanks to the help of the Frigo’s influence.
She shared that her sandwich menu will be close to the Frigo menu, just changing some of the names and ingredients to reflect more of that Boston foodie feel. She’s also offering prepared meals to go, salads, drinks, charcuterie and even cheese tastings, to name a few.
And if customers should take any piece of advice when visiting — come hungry.
The Dirty Italian will officially open its doors at 144 Old Colony Ave., South Boston on Saturday. Follow Pessolano’s journey on Instagram here and Facebook here.
