MessyCuisine

Save the Pasta (and the Tiramisù)

I like fresh pasta. But I don’t often make it at home, because I don’t have the right tools.

(For those of you that know me, yes, I have a pasta rolling machine, but the clamp is broken and I can no longer clamp it down, which makes using it… fruitless.)

(And yes, I asked for a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer, but received the wrong one as a gift; what I got instead was the extruder, not the roller. This makes rolling pasta a one-person process, instead of needing a pasta-making buddy.)

So, with the desire to eat my pasta fresca, Gianni Cavanna came into town, and opened up a fresh pasta store. Perhaps you have heard of it? I’ve spoken of them many a time here on the blog. Simply put, they make a great product and sell it at a very decent price.

So—why are they struggling to survive? A recent article in the Times-Dispatch told of their plight: bleeding money, not likely to stay open past their 3-year anniversary. “Not enough customers,” was Gianni’s excuse, alongside some bad purchasing decisions at the shop’s opening: buying best equipment and outfitting the store with nice furniture.

Here’s one simple fact: they sell the best tiramisu dessert I have ever had. And trust me, the Messy Chef has eaten his share of tiramisu. So this my plea to you, the reader:

Please patronize Cavanna if you haven’t. He sells prosciutto, homemade pastas (both noodles and filled varieties), and one damn-good tiramisù dessert.

2272 John Rolfe Parkway
John Rolfe Commons
Richmond, VA 23233
phone: 804.360.9868

Filed by MessyChef at August 19th, 2007 under Banter