How I Fell in Love with Horror (aka: Thanks, Thriller)

I was born in that weird microgeneration called Xennials—right between Gen X and Millennials. That means I had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood. I grew up watching MTV, playing outside until the streetlights came on, and renting horror movies on VHS.

My horror origin story? Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I was way too young when it came out, but my older siblings were glued to MTV, and Thriller was basically always on. If it wasn’t the music video, it was The Making of Thriller. At first, I was terrified of it. But one day, my sister decided that I needed to face my fears—so she held me down, pried my eyes open "Bird Box style" and forced me to watch it. And that’s the moment I fell in love with horror.

From there, it escalated. I was way too young to watch An American Werewolf in London, but my parents let me anyway. I obsessed over horror movie makeup and special effects. And then, my older sister took me to see my first horror movie in a theater: The Lost Boys, which was paired as a double-feature with Madonna’s Who’s That Girl. Seeing The Lost Boys on the big screen at Bremen Mall—where I spent a huge chunk of my childhood—sealed the deal. I was hooked for life.

Svengoolie, Svennis Rodman, and My First Horror Mashup

Growing up in Chicago, I’ve basically been watching Svengoolie my whole life. If you’re from the area, you know—he’s a local horror host legend.

Back in the ‘90s, during the Chicago Bulls' second championship run, I used to send artwork to Svengoolie every week. One day, I created "Svennis Rodman", a mashup of Svengoolie + Dennis Rodman (long before I ever thought about mashing up horror and food). Turns out, Svengoolie loved it—he dressed up as Svennis Rodman, started going to Bulls games in costume, and even made it into the Chicago Tribune.

Looking back, Svennis Rodman was an early sign of what I’d end up doing with Bat Ravioli—taking two things I love and smashing them together into something absurd, but kind of brilliant.

Food, Family, and Growing Up in Chicago

I spent my first 30(ish) years in Chicago, before moving to Indianapolis to raise my family. Chicago isn’t just my hometown—it shaped my love for food and history.

My first adult job was working as the Chef Concierge at the Hotel Burnham in downtown Chicago, where I learned a ton about the city's food scene. But my food education started way before that—growing up in a tiny Polish neighborhood, surrounded by some of the best old-school Chicago institutions.

Through food, I also learned more about my heritage. I’m Polish and Italian, and my wife is Filipino, Italian, and German. In fact, my wife was baptized by Pope John Paul II in Grant Park, Chicago. Before we met, I didn’t know much about Filipino cuisine, but being part of her family introduced me to a whole new world of food traditions.

All of this plays into Bat Ravioli. It’s not just horror + food. It’s my family, my upbringing, my nostalgia, my city, and my culture—all twisted together into something fun, creepy, and delicious.

So... What the Hell is Bat Ravioli?

One day around Halloween, I was walking through Costco when I saw something ridiculous: ravioli shaped like bats.

I thought, this is wild. Not only because it was Halloween-themed pasta, but because this was post-COVID, when people were joking about the whole "bats and viruses" thing, and suddenly... Bat Ravioli was a real product?

I checked, and BatRavioli.com was available. So I bought it. And here we are.

What You’ll Find Here

• 🍽 Horror-inspired food art & mashups (because spooky and savory belong together).
• 🎃 A blog about horror movies—from cult classics to underrated gems.
• 🍕 Food nostalgia, Chicago food history, and cultural deep-dives (sometimes spooky, sometimes not).
• 👕 Original art & designs that celebrate all of the above.