Back in 1955, Betsy and Dave Wilcox were looking for a way to make their inexpensive meat dinners more edible. They experimented with different ideas for tenderizing and marinating until they came up with the original Allegro formula. Their marinade became an important family recipe that allowed them to purchase lesser cuts of meat and still enjoy a great meal.

When Betsy and Dave, along with their three daughters, opened the Pagliacci Restaurant in Paris (Tennessee) in 1972, this marinade played an important part. Premarinated meats were served at Pagliacci and were so well liked that, at the customers’ insistence, the Wilcox family began bottling and selling their special marinade. In 1979, they closed the restaurant and concentrated on producing the marinade. 

In keeping with the Italian focus of the restaurant, the marinade was named Allegro, which means “happy, cheerful, merry or glad” in Italian; “in a lively manner” in English. And what a perfect name it is. Added to any recipe, Allegro gives the flavor a zest and enhancement that brings customers back for more. 

The rest is Allegro history—the original flavor has long been in national distribution, and the company has developed many other delicious marinades, all of which enjoy a strong customer base.

Allegro Fine Foods, Inc. also bottles marinades and sauces for numerous private label customers.  The company is proud of its history and of its growth, flexibility, and dedication to quality.