Staffing
Tutta Bella names Cate Hardy as CEO
August 29, 2025
Cate Hardy has been named CEO of Seattle-based Tutta Bella. Hardy, a seasoned food and beverage executive with a record of growth and innovation, joins the pizza brand as it continues its expansion into the national consumer packaged goods market, according to a press release.
Founder Joe Fugere will transition to a new role focusing on stewarding the brand's culture, building and nurturing key external relationships and supporting long-term strategic growth.
"This transition represents both a personal milestone and a strategic step forward for our company," Fugere said in the press release. "When I opened the first Tutta Bella restaurant in 2004, I never imagined that our pizzas would be sold nationwide to customers seeking the highest quality authentic Neapolitan pizzas at home. Now that Tutta Bella pizzas are available in over 1,000 grocery and club stores nationwide — in addition to our five Seattle-area restaurants — it is the right time to transition leadership of the company to an executive with the demonstrated experience to lead Tutta Bella in its continued rapid national growth and expansion. Cate's track record of driving growth at premium food and beverage businesses brings exactly the expertise Tutta Bella needs to continue scaling our brand nationwide without compromising the quality and tradition that defines us."
Most recently, Hardy served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Seattle Hospitality Group, overseeing a portfolio of iconic Pacific Northwest food, beverage, and transportation businesses. Previously, Hardy served as CEO of The Wine Group, a CPG company and the second-largest wine producer in the United States with annual production of 50 million cases and 1,200 employees.
"Joe has built something extraordinary — a brand rooted in tradition that has evolved from a single Seattle pizzeria into a national leader in authentic Neapolitan pizza," Hardy said in the press release. "With a talented team, a proven restaurant and retail model, and growing consumer demand for high-quality prepared foods, Tutta Bella is perfectly positioned for accelerated growth. I'm excited and honored to lead the company in its next chapter."
Tutta Bella owns and operates five neighborhood restaurants, two grocerants, plus a café, a bar and a food truck. Tutta Bella's CPG pizzas are made by hand in a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Seattle's SoDo district, then distributed to retail locations nationwide.
