GG's Pasta

“GG” means a lot to Matt and Jear Greiner, owners of GG’s Pasta - 

It’s Jear’s nickname, an Italian grandma’s nickname, Greiner & Griener, and stands for “Gourmand Greiners,” reflecting their love for quality food. That passion definitely comes to life in GG’s Pasta, particularly good Italian pasta made to be enjoyed!

Matt and Jear Greiner have traveled the world learning the art of Italian cuisine, eventually bringing that passion back to Iowa and founding GG’s Pasta in 2024. It all started back when Matt attended Kirkwood’s Culinary Arts program and studied abroad in Italy several times. For one of these programs, he attended a Masters In Italian Cuisine program for one year in Florence, where he met his wife Jear, AKA GG.  

After completing the program, Jear went on to work at Michelin One Star and Michelin Green Star restaurants in Tuscany. The Michelin Green Star is a newer award that honors restaurants that prioritize sustainability, ethical sourcing, and local ingredients, values Jear experienced firsthand, with most ingredients grown or raised on-site. Meanwhile, Matt was private cooking for a Princess, a Duke, and a Duchess before being invited to join a tomato-forward fine dining restaurant, where he worked his way to Chef de Partie on the pasta station.  

After their time in Italy, Matt and Jear moved to Phoenix, where Matt worked as a production manager for a pasta company and Jear worked for a catering company serving PGA players and spring training teams. After spending some time back in the US, the Greiners found it surprisingly difficult to find high-quality pasta.   

Matt and Jear eventually decided to move back home to Iowa, where they could use their experience to create delicious, high-quality pasta for their local community - and we’re so grateful they did! They set out to highlight the exceptional durum wheat grown in the United States, creating their pasta with a blend of North Dakota Northern Durum and Desert Durum from Arizona, grains they were introduced to through millers they met while living in Phoenix. The combination of these two durums grown in drastically different climates creates a unique flavor and texture. Made with just a few high-quality ingredients, their pasta is completely vegan, allowing the unique grain mix flavors to shine.  

Their pasta is currently sold locally at Cedar Rapids, Coralville, and Iowa City farmers markets, featured on menus at Monica’s, Big Grove, Pullman’s, and St. Burch, and we are so excited to bring their pasta to our stores now as well!