Document:

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                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
                              --------------------

          AGREEMENT made as of November 7, 2001, by and between New World Pasta
Company, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and Cary A. Metz (the
"Executive").

          WHEREAS, the Company desires that Executive serve as the Vice
President and General Counsel, and Executive desires to hold such positions
under the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and

          WHEREAS, the Company is authorized to enter into this Agreement with
Executive.

          NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and
agreements set forth herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the
parties agree as follows:

          1.  Employment. The Company hereby employs Executive, and Executive
              ----------
hereby accepts employment with the Company, upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth herein.

          2. Term.
             ----
             (a)   Subject to Section 11 hereof, the term of the employment by
the Company of Executive pursuant to this Agreement (as the same may be
extended, the "Term") shall commence on September 4, 2001 (the "Effective
Date"), and terminate on the second anniversary thereof.

             (b)   Commencing on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and
on each subsequent anniversary thereof, the Term shall automatically be extended
for one (1) additional year unless, not later than ninety days (90) prior to any
such anniversary date, either party hereto shall have notified the other party
hereto in writing that such extension shall not take effect.

          3. Position. During the Term, Executive shall serve as the Vice
             --------
President and General Counsel of the Company, supervising the legal affairs of
the Company.

          4. Duties. During the Term, Executive shall devote his full time and
             ------
attention during normal business hours to the business and affairs of the
Company, except vacations in accordance with the Company's policies and for
illness or incapacity.
<PAGE>

          5. Salary and Bonus.
             ----------------
             (a)     During the Term, the Company shall pay to Executive a base
salary at the rate of $175,000 per year (the "Base Salary"), subject to annual
adjustments as determined by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

             (b)     For the Company's fiscal year ending December 31, 2001, and
for each fiscal year during the Term thereafter, Executive shall be eligible to
receive an annual cash bonus equal to up to fifty percent (50%) of his Base
Salary subject to the terms of the Annual Incentive Plan of the Company.

          6. Stock Option. Pursuant to the New World Pasta Company 1999 Stock
             ------------
Option Plan (the "Plan") and subject to the terms of the stock option agreement
governing the grant of such options, the Company shall grant Executive (i)
46,111 options, with an exercise price of $10 per share, and (ii) 24,823 options
with an exercise price of $73.50 per share.

          7. Vacation, Holidays and Sick Leave. During the Term, Executive shall
             ---------------------------------
be entitled to paid vacation, paid holidays, reimbursement of business expenses
and sick leave in accordance with the Company's standard policies for its senior
executive officers.

          8. Car Allowance. During the Term, Executive shall be entitled to a
             -------------
car allowance in accordance with the Company's standard policies for its senior
executive officers.

          9. Relocation Benefits. During the Term, Executive shall be entitled
             -------------------
to relocation benefits in accordance with the Company's standard policies for
its senior executive officers.

          10. Health, Welfare and Pension Benefits. During the Term, Executive
              ------------------------------------
and eligible members of his family shall be eligible to participate in the
Company provided (i) health and dental benefits and insurance programs; (ii)
life and short- and long-term disability benefits and insurance programs and
(iii) pension and retirement benefits.

          11. Termination of Agreement.
              ------------------------
              (a)    The employment by the Company of Executive pursuant to this
Agreement shall not be terminated prior to the end of the Term, except (i) by
mutual consent, (ii) death, (iii) disability, (iv) by the Company for cause, (v)
by the Company without cause, (vi) by Executive for good reason, or (vii) by
Executive without good reason. In the event of the Executive's termination of
employment with the Company by mutual consent, death, disability, by the Company
for cause or by the Executive without good reason, the Company's obligation's
under this Agreement shall terminate as of the Executive's last day of
employment with the
<PAGE>

Company. The Executive shall be entitled to receive any benefits or compensation
to which he may be entitled under the benefit plans and policies of the Company,
as then in effect. In the event the Executive's employment with the Company is
terminated by the Company without cause or by the Executive with good reason,
the Executive shall be entitled to a payment equal to twenty-six (26) weeks of
the Executive's then current base salary, which shall be paid in accordance with
the terms of the Company's Severance Benefits Plan. This payment shall be in
lieu of any other obligation of the Company under this Agreement.

                (b) For purposes of this Agreement, the term "cause" shall mean
the determination, in good faith, by the Company that one or more of the
following events has occurred: (i) any act of gross negligence, fraud or willful
misconduct by Executive materially injuring the interest, business or reputation
of the Company, or any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliates; (ii)
Executive's commission of any felony; (iii) any misappropriation or embezzlement
of the property of the Company, or any of its parents, subsidiaries or
affiliates; or (iv) any material breach by Executive of this Agreement, which
breach remains uncorrected for a period of thirty (30) days after receipt by
Executive of written notice from the Company setting forth such breach. The term
"good reason" shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events without
the prior consent of Executive: (i) removal of Executive from Executive's then
current position; (ii) material reduction by the Company of Executive's then
current duties, responsibilities or authority or the assignment to Executive of
duties materially inconsistent with his then current position; or (iii) material
breach by the Company of this Agreement, which breach remains uncured for a
period of thirty days after receipt by the Company of written notice from
Executive.

          12.   Successors. This Agreement is a personal contract and the rights
                ----------
and interests of Executive hereunder may not be sold, transferred, assigned,
pledged, encumbered, or hypothecated by him, except as otherwise expressly
permitted by the provisions of this Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the
benefit of and be enforceable by Executive and his personal or legal
representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees,
devisees and legatees.

          13.   Confidentiality and Non-Competition Covenants.
                ---------------------------------------------

                (a) Executive will not, directly or indirectly, make known,
disclose, furnish, make available or utilize any of the Company's confidential
information, other than in the proper performance of the duties contemplated by
the Agreement, or as required by law. Executive will return all confidential
information, including all photocopies, extracts and summaries thereof, and any
such information stored electronically on tapes, computer disks or in any other
manner to the Company at any time upon request by the Company and, in any event,
promptly after the termination of his employment for any reason. Confidential
information does not
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include any information (i) available to or already in the hands of the public,
(ii) known to Executive prior to the date hereof, (iii) disclosed to Executive
by a third party who is not under a duty of confidentiality with respect to such
information, or (iv) independently developed by Executive without the use of
confidential information of the Company.

                (b) Executive will not, during the Term and for any period
during which Executive is receiving payments from the Company pursuant to this
Agreement, perform services for any entity that competes with the Company in the
dry pasta category, or in any other category in which the Company is doing
business.

                (c) Each party hereto acknowledges that money damages would be
both incalculable and an insufficient remedy for any breach of this section of
the Agreement and such party and that any such breach would cause the other
parties, irreparable harm. Accordingly, each party hereto also agrees that, in
the event of any breach or threatened breach of this provision of the Agreement
by such party, the other parties shall be entitled to equitable relief without
the requirement of posting a bond or other security, including in the form of
injunctions and orders for specific performance, in addition to all other
remedies available to such other parties at law or in equity.

          14.   Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains all the understandings
                ----------------
between the parties hereto pertaining to the matters referred to herein, and
supersedes any other undertakings and agreements, whether oral or in writing,
previously entered into by them with respect thereto.

          15.   Amendment or Modification; Waiver. No provision of this
                ---------------------------------
Agreement may be amended or waived unless such amendment or waiver is agreed to
in writing, signed by Executive and by a duly authorized officer of the Company.
No waiver by any party hereto of any breach by another party hereto of any
condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party
shall be deemed a waiver of a similar or dissimilar condition or provision at
the same time, any prior time or any subsequent time.

          16.   Severability. If any provision or clause of this Agreement or
                ------------
the application of any such provision or clause to any party or circumstances
shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid and
unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application
of such provision or clause to such person or circumstances other than those to
which it is so determined to be invalid and unenforceable, shall not be affected
thereby, and each provision or clause hereof shall be validated and shall be
enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.
<PAGE>

          17.   Survivorship. The respective rights and obligations of the
                ------------
parties hereunder shall survive any termination of this Agreement to the extent
necessary to the intended preservation of such rights and obligations.

          18.   Governing Law; Arbitration.
                --------------------------

                (a) This Agreement will be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to
its conflicts of law principles.

                (b) In the event a dispute arises out of or pertaining to this
Agreement, either party may, by written notice to the other party, require that
such dispute be submitted to binding arbitration pursuant to the rules of the
American Arbitration Association in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (including
reasonable discovery as determined by the arbitrator) and the order of such
arbitrator shall be conclusive, final and binding on all parties hereto and may
be entered as a judgment in any court having jurisdiction over the parties.

          19.   Headings. All descriptive headings of sections and paragraphs in
                --------
this Agreement are intended solely for convenience, and no provision of this
Agreement is to be construed by reference to the heading of any section or
paragraph.

          20.   Withholding. All payments to Executive under this Agreement
                -----------
shall be reduced by all applicable withholding required by federal, state or
local law.

          21.   Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts,
                ------------
each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall
constitute one and the same instrument.

          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered
this Employment Agreement as of the date first above written.

                                          NEW WORLD PASTA COMPANY

                                          By: /s/ John Denton
                                             ----------------------------------
                                             Name:  John Denton
                                             Title: CEO

                                          EXECUTIVE

                                          /s/ Cary A. Metz
                                          -------------------------------------
                                             Cary A. Metz<PAGE>

                              Warrants to Purchase

                                    1,402,000

                             Shares of Common Stock

                             NEW WORLD PASTA COMPANY

                         COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANTS

         This certifies that, for value received, Miller Pasta II, LLC or its
registered assigns (the "Holder") is entitled to purchase from New World Pasta
Company, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), at any time from 9:00 a.m., New
York City time, on July 30, 2001 until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July
30, 2008 (the "Expiration Date"), at the purchase price of $1.00 per share (the
"Warrant Price"), the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company, par value
$.01 per share ("Common Stock"), shown above. The number of shares purchasable
upon exercise of the Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the "Warrants") and the
Warrant Price are subject to adjustment from time to time as set forth below.

         Section 1.  Exercise of Warrants.

                 (a) Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part, at any time
or from time to time, by presentation of this Warrant certificate with the
Purchase Form (attached hereto as Exhibit A) duly executed and simultaneous
payment of the Warrant Price to the Company. Payment of such price shall be
made, at the option of the Holder, (i) in cash or by certified or official bank
check payable to the Company; (ii) by cashless exercise (in the manner described
below in Section 1(c)); or (iii) by any combination of payment described in
clauses (i) or (ii) hereof. As provided herein, the Warrant Price and the number
or kind of shares which may be purchased upon the exercise of the Warrants
evidenced by this Warrant certificate are, at the option of the Company or upon
the happening of certain events, subject to modification and adjustment
described herein.

                 (b) In case an exercise of Warrants is in part only, a new
Warrant or Warrants of like tenor, calling in the aggregate on the face or faces
of the Warrant certificate or certificates for the number of shares of Common
Stock equal (without giving effect to any adjustment thereof) to the number of
such shares called for on the face of this Warrant certificate minus the number
of such shares designated by the Holder upon such exercise as provided in this
Section 1 shall be issued and delivered to the Holder or its registered assigns.
<PAGE>

                 (c) As described in clause (ii) of Section 1(a) above, the
Holder may apply to the payment required by this Section 1 that portion of this
Warrant, that is equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the value of the
Warrant or portion thereof on the exercise date (determined by subtracting the
aggregate exercise price for the shares of Common Stock in effect on the
exercise date from the aggregate current market price (as determined below in
Section 1(d) of the shares of Common Stock) by (ii) the current market price of
one share of Common Stock.

                 (d) For the purpose of any computation under Section 1(c) and
Section 7, the current market price per share of the Common Stock shall be
determined in good faith by the Board on the basis of such information as it
considers appropriate; provided, however, that if the Common Stock is publicly
traded at the time of such computation, then the current market price per share
of Common Stock at any date shall be the average of the daily closing prices for
20 consecutive trading days commencing 30 trading days before the date of such
computation, which closing price for each day shall be the last reported sales
price regular way or, in case no such reported sale takes place on such day, the
average of the closing bid and asked prices regular way for such day, in each
case on the principal national securities exchange on which the shares of Common
Stock are listed or admitted to trading or, if not listed or admitted to
trading, the average of the closing bid and asked prices of the Common Stock in
the over-the-counter market as reported on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

         Section 2.  Exchange of Warrant Certificates. This Warrant certificate
may be exchanged for another certificate or certificates entitling the Holder to
purchase like aggregate number of Common Stock issuable on exercise of the
Warrants (the "Warrants Shares") as the certificate or certificates surrendered
then entitle the Holder to purchase. The Holder shall make such request in
writing delivered to the Company, and shall surrender, properly endorsed, the
certificate or certificates to be so exchanged. Thereupon, the Company shall
sign and deliver to the Holder a new Warrant certificate or certificates, as the
case may be, as so requested.

         Section 3.  Compliance with Government Regulations. If any shares of
Common Stock required to be reserved for purposes of exercise of Warrants
require, under any Federal or state law or applicable governing rule or
regulation of any national securities exchange, registration with or approval of
any governmental authority, or listing on any such national securities exchange
before such shares may be issued upon exercise, the Company will in good faith
and as expeditiously as possible endeavor to cause such shares to be duly
registered, approved or listed on the relevant national securities exchange, as
the case may be; provided, however, that in no event shall such shares of Common
Stock be issued, and the Company is hereby authorized to suspend the exercise of
all Warrants, for the period, and only for such period, during which such
registration, approval or listing is required but not in effect.
<PAGE>

         Section 4.  Payment of Taxes. The Company will pay all documentary
stamp taxes, if any, attributable to the initial issuance of Warrant Shares upon
the exercise of Warrants; provided, however, that the Company shall not be
required to pay any tax or taxes which may be payable in respect of any transfer
involved in the issue or delivery of any Warrants or Warrant certificates for
Warrant Shares in a name other than that of the Holder.

         Section 5.  Mutilated or Missing Warrants. If certificates evidencing
the Warrants shall be mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company may in
its discretion issue, in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation of
the mutilated Warrant certificate, or in lieu of and substitution for the
Warrant certificate lost, stolen or destroyed, a new Warrant certificate of like
tenor and representing an equivalent right or interest, but only upon receipt of
(i) evidence satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction of
such Warrant certificate and (ii) an indemnity or bond, if requested, also
satisfactory to the Company. The Holder shall also comply with such other
reasonable regulations and pay such other reasonable charges as the Company may
prescribe.

         Section 6.  Adjustment of Warrant Price and Number of Warrant Shares.
The number and kind of securities purchasable upon the exercise of each Warrant
and the Warrant Price shall be subject to adjustment from time to time upon the
happening of certain events, as hereinafter defined.

                 (a) Mechanical Adjustments. In the event that a dividend or
other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock, or other
property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse split, reorganization, merger,
consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or share exchange, or other
similar corporate transaction or event shall occur after the date hereof which
the Board in its reasonable discretion, determines affects the Common Stock such
that an adjustment is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of
the rights of the Holder or the value of the Warrants, then the Board shall make
such equitable changes or adjustments as it deems necessary or appropriate to
any or all of (i) the number and kind of shares of capital stock which may
thereafter be issued upon exercise of Warrants, (ii) the number and kind of
shares of capital stock issued or issuable in respect of Warrants and (iii) the
Warrant Price.

                 (b) Notice of Adjustment. Whenever the number of Warrant
Shares purchasable upon the exercise of each Warrant or the Warrant Price of
such Warrant Shares is adjusted, as herein provided, the Company (i) shall
promptly mail by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to the Holder notice of such
adjustment or adjustments and (ii) shall deliver to the Holder a certificate of
the Chief Financial Officer of the Company setting forth the number of Warrant
Shares purchasable upon the exercise of each Warrant and the Warrant Price of
such Warrant Shares after such adjustment and setting forth the computation by
which such adjustment was made. Such certificate, in the absence of manifest
error, shall be conclusive evidence of the correctness of such adjustment.
<PAGE>

                 (c) Preservation of Purchase Rights Upon Merger,
Consolidation, etc. In case of any consolidation of the Company with or merger
of the Company into another corporation or in case of any sale, transfer or
lease to another corporation of all or substantially all the property of the
Company, proper provision shall be made that the Holder, upon the exercise of
Warrants after the consummation of such transaction, shall have the right
thereafter upon payment of the Warrant Price in effect immediately prior to such
action to purchase upon exercise of each Warrant the kind and amount of shares
and other securities and property which it would have owned or have been
entitled to receive after the happening of such consolidation, merger, sale,
transfer or lease had the Warrant been exercised immediately prior to such
action. The Company shall mail by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to the
Holder, notice of the execution of any such agreement. Such agreement shall
provide for adjustments, which shall be as nearly equivalent as may be
practicable to the adjustments provided for in Section 6. The provisions of this
Section 6(d) shall similarly apply to successive consolidations, mergers, sales,
transfers or leases.

                 (d) Statement on Warrants. Irrespective of any adjustments in
the Warrant Price or the number or kind of shares purchasable upon the exercise
of the Warrants, Warrants theretofore or thereafter issued may continue to
express the same price and number and kind of shares as are stated in the
Warrants initially issuable.

         Section 7.  Fractional Interests. No fractional shares will be issued
upon the exercise of any Warrant, but the Company shall pay an amount in cash
equal to the closing price for one share of Common Stock, as determined above in
Section 1(f), multiplied by such fraction.

         Section 8.  Restrictions on Transfer.

                 (a) The Warrant and the Warrant Shares shall be subject to the
transfer restrictions set forth in the Stockholders Agreement dated as of
January 28, 1999, among the Company, New World Pasta, LLC, Miller Pasta, LLC and
Hershey Chocolate Confectionary Corporation, as the same may be amended from
time to time, as if the Holder were a party thereto; provided, however, that the
Warrant may be distributed, in whole or in part, by JLL Pasta, LLC to its
members or their respective affiliates.

                 (b) The Warrant and the Warrant Shares are "restricted
securities," as such term is defined in Rule 144 promulgated under the
Securities Act, and any resale of the Warrant or the Warrant Shares must be in
compliance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act or an
exemption therefrom.

         Section 9.  No Rights as Stockholders, Notices to Holders. Nothing
contained herein shall be construed as conferring upon the Holder the right to
vote or to receive dividends or to consent or to receive notice as a stockholder
in respect of any meeting of stockholders for the election of directors of the
Company or any other matter, or any rights
<PAGE>

whatsoever as stockholders of the Company. If, however, at any time prior to the
expiration of the Warrants and prior to their exercise, any of the following
events shall occur:

                 (i)    the Company shall declare any dividend payable in any
                 securities upon its shares of Common Stock or make any
                 distribution (other than a cash dividend) to the Holder of its
                 shares of Common Stock; or

                 (ii)   the Company shall offer to the Holder shares of Common
                 Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares
                 of Common Stock or any right to subscribe for or purchase any
                 thereof; or

                 (iii)  a dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the Company
                 (other than in connection with a consolidation, merger, sale,
                 transfer or lease of all or substantially all of its property,
                 assets, and business as an entirety) shall be proposed,

then, in any one or more of said events, the Company shall give notice in
writing of such event to the Holder as provided in Section 10 hereof, such
giving of notice to be completed at least 10 days prior to the date fixed as a
record date or the date of closing the transfer books for the determination of
the stockholders entitled to such dividend, distribution, or subscription
rights, or for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote on such
proposed dissolution, liquidation or winding up. Such notice shall specify such
record date or the date of closing the transfer books, as the case may be.
Failure to publish, mail or receive such notice or any defect therein or in the
publication or mailing thereof shall not affect the validity of any action taken
in connection with such dividend, distribution or subscription rights, or such
proposed dissolution, liquidation or up.

         Section 10. Notices. Any notice by the Company to the Holder, or by the
Holder to the Company, shall be in writing and shall be delivered in person or
by facsimile transmission, or mailed first class, postage prepaid, (i) to the
Company, at its offices at New World Pasta Company, 85 Shannon Road, Harrisburg,
PA 17112, Attention: Chief Financial Officer or (ii) to the Holder, at the
registered address of such holder as set forth in the register kept at the
principal office of the Company. Each party hereto may from time to time change
the address to which notices to it are to be delivered or mailed hereunder by
notice to the other party.

         Section 11. Ownership. The Holder hereof may be treated by the Company
and all other persons dealing with this Warrant certificate as the absolute
owner hereof for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights
represented hereby, or to the transfer hereof on the books of the Company, any
notice to the contrary notwithstanding, and until
<PAGE>

such transfer on such books, the Company may treat the Holder hereof as the
owner for all purposes.

         Section 12.    Applicable Law. The Warrant certificate and the Warrants
issued hereunder shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws
of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflict of
laws.

         Section  13.   Captions.  The captions of the Sections and subsections
of this Warrant certificate have been inserted for convenience only and shall
have no substantive effect.

Dated:  August 13, 2001
                                   NEW WORLD PASTA COMPANY

                                   By: /s/ Wayne Robison
                                        -----------------

                                   Attest: /s/ Kathleen S. Purcell
                                           -----------------------
<PAGE>

                                                                       Exhibit A

                                 PURCHASE FORM

                   (To be executed upon exercise of Warrant)

To:  NEW WORLD PASTA COMPANY

         The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right of
purchase represented by the Warrant certificate for, and to purchase thereunder,
_______ shares of the Company's Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the
"Common Stock"), as provided for therein, and herewith makes payment of $_______
therefore, and requests that any payment for fractional shares of Common Stock
and certificates for such shares of Common Stock issued hereby, shall be issued
in the name of, and delivered to, the following:

Date:

NAME
    ----------------------------------
    (Please Print Name and Address)

Address
       -------------------------------

       -------------------------------

       -------------------------------

Signature
         -----------------------------

                                               If said number of shares shall
                                         not 1 be all the shares purchasable
                                         under the within Warrant certificate, a
                                         new Warrant certificate is to be issued
                                         in the name of said undersigned for the
                                         balance remaining of the shares
                                         purchasable thereunder less any
                                         fraction of a share paid in cash.

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