Celebrities and outside ventures have gone hand-in-hand for decades, with famous faces always looking to capitalize on their star power in other areas of business. It's no surprise that someone like Hulk Hogan would cash in and open...an Italian restaurant. After all his real name is Terry Bollea and Italian descent
Quite notoriously, when it comes to fast food, the world of Italian cuisine has been a very hard nut to crack, with pizza being the only real dish able to be translated into the quick-turnaround-focused fast dining experience. Having already had his face on a multitude of products from his signature vitamins to workout equipment, and even more coming in the later 1990s and 2000s, Hulk Hogan took the opportunity to become the face of pasta. With the likes of Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Café enticing crowds with their all-star gimmicks, surely The Hulkster was the next bankable star to shake the culinary world.
Half-Italian from his father's side, the all-American, bleach-blond, orange-tanned Hogan might not have been the most obvious mascot for Italy's favorite dish. Either way, 1995 saw the first (and only ever) PastaMania location open in Bloomington, Minnesota's Mall of America during Labor Day weekend, with the debut episode in the mixed history of WCW Monday Nitro the following day. The first episode of Monday Nitro is fondly remembered for its unique appearance inside the mall, as well as the opening bout of the one-of-a-kind talent Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Brian Pillman and the shock arrival of Lex Luger in WCW as the highlights of the night. the night also saw Hogan cutting a promo from the heart of the PastaMania restaurant.
PastaMania offered a selection of pasta for its customers, opting to go for the 'mix and match' route where PastaManiacs could pair a selection of five kinds of pasta with five different sauces. The menu also boasted 'The Hulkster's Favorite International Pastas from Around The World', with Hogan's supposed picks being Beef Stroganoff, Swedish Meatballs, Turkey Tetrazzini, and Pasta Mexicana.
For the kids coming to order Hulk Hogan's signature pasta, the children's menu offered 'Hulkaroni and Cheese' and 'Hulkios', shaped in the image of the man himself. From him flexing his famous pythons to a portrait of the wrestling icon, who wouldn't want a taste of The Hulkster himself?
Sadly, there are scarce accounts of anyone having visited the PastaMania restaurant. But, on an episode of the What Happened When podcast covering the debut episode of Monday Nitro, famed commentator Tony Schiavone shared his own memory of PastaMania's food, boldly going so far as to proclaim, "It was okay."
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