We celebrate World Pasta Day today! We love pasta made in various regions of Italy. But we also enjoy pasta made locally. For example, have you heard of Pasta Valente? We ran into
this local pasta maker at the last Fancy Food Show held at the Washington DC Convention Center. Pasta Valente was founded by Fran Valente in 1982, and continues a local tradition that began with Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
Inspired by Italian tradition, Fran started making pasta in her sewing room with a small hand-cranked pasta machine. Initially she sold her pastas at the Charlottesville City Market on Saturday. Gradually expanding into retail outlets across Central Virginia, Pasta Valente cand be found in specialty retail stores, gift baskets, wine shops and upscale grocery stores throughout Virginia. Today, Pasta Valente products can be found all across the continental United States.
Using custom, locally-milled wheat flour to create the perfect hand-crafted texture the flour is mixed with a secret combination of herbs, spices and dried vegetables, then rolled, hand cut and air-dried for 24 hours. Each package is hand-packed to insure quality control and perfect pasta. This homemade taste and texture is created by adhering to a strict traditional manufacturing process.