Joe Sasto's pasta chips are called Tantos, the first and only puffed pasta chip, created by Chef Joe Sasto (Top Chef finalist) himself and co-founded with Sean Knecht. Joe took the flavors he loves cooking with and turned them into a snack you can eat with your hands, no fork required. It launched in July 2024 and landed on Shark Tank in November 2025. This is the story of how a chef's brain and a bag of chips became one very crunchy idea.
Meet the chef who said no to boring snacks
Joe Sasto is a Top Chef finalist, a pasta obsessive, and apparently not satisfied with pasta staying in a bowl. He wanted pasta you could snack on. Pasta you could take on a plane, in the car, to a tailgate, wherever. So he built it.
From Top Chef finalist to Joe Sasto's pasta chips
Chefs solve problems on the fly. Joe's problem: pasta is delicious but not exactly pocket-sized. His solve: a puffed pasta chip made from 100% semolina, cooked, dried, puffed, and seasoned with real Italian ingredients. Simple sentence, complicated kitchen experiments to get there.
He teamed up with Sean Knecht to turn a chef's idea into an actual company. Sasto Snacks is the company behind Tantos. Joe created the chip. Sasto Snacks makes it happen at scale.
What "Tanto si" really means
Tantos takes its name from Tanto si, an Italian expression that means "so much yes." It's not just a name, it's the whole ethos. Say yes to the delicious things that make you happy. Say yes to pasta at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. So Much Yes isn't a tagline we bolted on. It's the reason the brand exists.
How Tantos went from idea to Shark Tank
| Moment | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 2024 | Tantos officially launches |
| November 2025 | Tantos appears on Shark Tank |
Want the full breakdown of the process, from raw semolina to the bag on your counter? We wrote a whole post on how Tantos are made. And if you're still asking yourself what makes a pasta chip a pasta chip in the first place, start with what are pasta chips.
The flavors Joe built
Every flavor is Joe's take on the Italian dishes that made him fall in love with food in the first place, minus the fork.
- Marinara: yes to red sauce, no ladle required
- Pesto: yes to basil and parm, crispy and puffed
- Cacio e Pepe: yes to cheese and pepper together, forever and ever
- Classico: yes to not messing with perfection
Highbrow with caviar, lowbrow with a dirty-water hotdog on the side. That's the whole point. 🍝
FAQ
Who created Tantos pasta chips?
Tantos, the first and only puffed pasta chip, is created by Chef Joe Sasto, a Top Chef finalist, and co-founded with Sean Knecht. The company that makes it is Sasto Snacks.
What are Joe Sasto's pasta chips made from?
Tantos are made from 100% semolina. The pasta is cooked, dried, then puffed and seasoned with real Italian ingredients. That's the process, start to finish.
When did Tantos launch?
Tantos launched in July 2024. It landed on Shark Tank in November 2025, giving the pasta chip its biggest stage yet.
Are Tantos pasta chips healthier than regular chips?
Depends what you're comparing and we're not about to make claims we can't back up. Here's what we can tell you: Tantos are made from 100% semolina, cooked, dried, puffed, and seasoned with real Italian ingredients. Check the label on your bag for the specifics.
Where can I find Tantos in stores?
Tantos are carried at Kroger, H-E-B, The Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme, World Market, and a growing crew of specialty and independent stores. Plug your zip into our store locator to find the closest bag.
Ready to taste what Joe started? Shop Cacio e Pepe or the whole lineup at Shop all Tantos, and use our store locator to find Tantos near you.
Tantos is disrupting the snack aisle with the first and only puffed pasta chip, seasoned in Italian flavors like Marinara, Pesto, Cacio e Pepe, and Classico. We're believers in saying yes to the delicious things that make you happy. So Much Yes.