Locally made tomato sauce is a rarity in the Lowcountry, but Joe Gallagher Jr. has made it a reality. Also known as Chef Giuseppe, Gallagher founded Apastioli Specialty Foods in Charleston in 2024.
Italian on both sides of his family, Gallagher, 43, was the first to write down his grandmother’s recipe for her famous sauce. “I had to go through the due diligence,” he tells Holy City Sinner.
Years later, he made the sauce from scratch to go with the eggplant parmigiana that he brought to a social gathering last year—and it was a hit.
“They went nuts,” says Gallagher. “My friends said I should sell this. But I never thought about getting into the food industry.”
His sauce stood out: low acidity, low sodium, and low calorie—and it is made with love.
“It is slow-cooked. Each batch takes about 6 hours. It’s very meticulous and labor-intensive, but you can taste the quality,” he says.
So he made a prototype and started selling his homemade sauce to his friends and family and created a website to reach more fans. Then he had an epiphany: he decided to contact the Piggly Wiggly in North Charleston to see if they would be interested in selling his locally made sauce.
“The manager ordered 6 cases,” he says.
Within a month, the sauce was in four stores. Today, they are in 15 Piggly Wiggly locations and soon to be delivered to select Food Lion stores, with conversations underway to expand into Walmart, Publix, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Ingles, Trader Joe’s, and more. Gallagher is also in talks with major national distributors, including UNFI, Lipari Foods, and C&S Wholesale Grocers.
“We can’t produce enough because the demand is so high,” Gallagher adds. “I’ve been blessed.”
Since then, Apastioli Specialty Foods has launched over 10 products, with over 25 new recipes for Italian cookies, cannoli-flavored lip balm, frozen vegan meatballs, and more.
Gallagher’s journey to success has been a long one. Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, which Gallagher notes has a lot of Italian influence, he moved to the Lowcountry in 2014.
“When I came down, I was originally in the entertainment industry. I was a professional musician and singer/songwriter,” he says. In 2017, Gallagher was in a horrific car accident that required two spinal surgeries.
“At the time I was in contention for Best New Rock Artist at the GRAMMYs, and it ended my career as a musician,” he shares. “I tried staying in the music industry and went through absolute hell on earth trying to recover from surgery—but I had no feeling in my hands for 4 years. It was a nightmare.”
Gallagher explains that during that time he became hooked on drugs and a “bad alcoholic.”
“Just over a year ago I got sober. It's been a ride, let me tell you,” he says.
His healing journey has been one of total redemption. With feeling back in his hands, he is playing guitar again at his church.
And his plans for Apastioli have grown far beyond food jars.
In addition to his growing product line, Gallagher is releasing a memoir titled From Bars to Jars: A True Southern Redemption Story, coming to Amazon and select physical retailers on June 1st. The audiobook version, narrated by Gallagher himself, will launch the same day on Audible. Pre-sales for both are now available at Apastioli.com.
Gallagher is also developing Apasioli Farms, a 1,700+-acre agricultural and manufacturing project in South Carolina designed to vertically integrate the production of Apastioli products while creating a groundbreaking sustainable agritourism destination.
“Our dream has been to build a farm,” he says. “We’re looking at land where we can grow all our own ingredients and build a solar-powered facility that can process up to 300,000 jars a month.”
But the vision for Apastioli Farms extends well beyond production. Plans include weekend retreats, farm-to-table luxury dining experiences, educational workshops on organic agriculture and small business development, corporate events, nonprofit fundraisers, and private celebrity concerts.
Gallagher also hints at a forthcoming Netflix or Paramount series currently in development—From Bars to Jars: The Series—a blend of reality and scripted storytelling based on his memoir. The show would follow life on the farm, highlight sober living, showcase local talent, and explore the behind-the-scenes journey of building a food empire from scratch.
“We want to use this land to inspire, educate, and serve,” he says. “Whether it’s recovery ministries, domestic violence prevention, or simply giving people a place to dream again—we’re building something bigger than a brand. This is a movement.”
He credits God for every step. “Nothing is too big for God to handle,” he says.