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CHOPPING BLOCK
Pasta pleasures
Elisa Gambino gets fresh, the Italian way
By Suzanne Wright
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| CREDIT: Spark St. Jude |
Q: What were you doing before you opened the shop?
A: I worked for 15 years for CNN in the Rome and Moscow bureaus as a field reporter. I married a colleague, Neal Broffman, had two kids and we transferred to Atlanta. I went from traveling in the Middle East and Europe to a desk job.
Where’d the idea for the pasta shop come from?
I grew up in a house where my mother made fresh pasta and sauce from scratch. All our grandparents are Italian. It was a very food-centric house. When my father was transferred with the embassy to Rome when I was 16, I became enamored of all things Italian: lifestyle, culture, art and cuisine.
That love led you to cook?
I always cooked when I traveled for CNN. I got requested a lot. When I moved back to the states, I was horrified at what is called Italian food—unless you spend a lot of money. I didn’t think that was right. I wanted fresh pasta that didn’t taste like plastic or feel like rubber.
How’d you prepare yourself?
I went to Italy and found the Gamberoni family, who are making the best fresh pasta in Rome. I asked if I could work there, and they were very welcoming; I stayed a month. I came back here and went to the small-business development center and took a class on the nuts and bolts of the business. Then I went back to Italy and asked if someone could come back with me to Atlanta. Elisa, the youngest member of the family, stayed with me for two and a half weeks to help me figure out the dough and chose the machines. I use their recipes, I buy my ricotta from the same place. They are instrumental in everything I do. They are like a second family.
I adore your ravioli, especially the luscious sweet pea.
I make 12 to 13 varieties of ravioli. I don’t do tricolored or lemongrass or jalapeño. I make what I feel like people should be ingesting. These are what Italians would take home and eat. My customers are thankful I’m keeping it simple.
You suggest topping pasta with butter not olive oil.
Fresh pasta is made of flour and eggs. Butter and eggs go together. You wouldn’t fry an egg in olive oil.
Why is grocery-store pasta so bad?
So-called fresh pasta is actually parboiled and frozen. It defrosts on the shelf. The shelf life is probably longer than our personal shelf life. You’re much better off buying frozen pasta.
Do you ever eat dry pasta?
Yes, I love dry pasta made in Italy. It is made with Italian water, which has a high mineral content. It’s perfect for heavier sauces. SP
Via Elisa, 1750C Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, 404-605-0668; www.viaelisa.com.
