Foodstuff: Ciao, Bella

You may have read me waxing poetic about my favorite pasta guy at the farmers markets in Aspen and Basalt over the past couple of years. This runaway hit, La Pastaiola, debuted in June 2022 and has been a summer staple of mine ever since. So much so, in fact, that I (along with several carb loaders I know) tracked it down at the Carbondale Arts holiday market last December, where I stockpiled boxes to store in the freezer to tide me over until the booth returned in summer.

Hold on to your hats, pasta lovers, because the weekly summer markets may be over in Aspen and Basalt (and Steamboat and Vail for you farther-flung fans), but the pasta is here to stay year-round.

This pasta and the “pasta guy” behind it is Marco Baghetti. He is only one half of the dream team making up this local, Italian-specialty food business duo. Alongside his wife, Aina Ismagulova Baghetti, the two recently opened a brick-and-mortar version of La Pastaiola at 72 Sunset Drive, Unit B, in Basalt off Willits Lane, which Aina refers to as an “ongoing project.”

I was fortunate enough to attend their opening party on Sept. 5 to check out the goods. In addition to the refrigerated case stocked with a rotating selection of extruded long and short-cut pasta and ravioli — all made on-site using Italian flour (plus a gluten-free option!) — they carry their selection of pasta sauces you may have seen at the farmers markets, such as Pomodoro and their unique white Bolognese, jarred and with about a week-long shelf life.

They served their eggplant ravioli in a Pomodoro sauce for the opening party, as well as a pasta salad of tuna and tomatoes with their gnochetti sardi, perfectly al dente and prepared by Marco’s mother. We also enjoyed individual peach ricotta cheesecakes and single-serve tiramisu — both available via the La Pastaiola catering arm of the business.

Marco is originally from Naples, and Aina is from Almaty, Kazakhstan, but they met in New York City while they were both working at Midtown Manhattan’s go-to Italian restaurant, Il Gattopardo (I’ve been there; check it out during white truffle season), with her in the front of the house, him in back. She has experience and training in a number of Italian restaurants, where she learned how to both cook and curate experiences all over Italy. He also has training and relationships with Michelin-starred chefs. Together, they evenly split their responsibilities, with Aina explaining, “I taught Marco how to make pasta; he taught me how to make sauce,” she said with a laugh. “People were searching for this authenticity,” and La Pastaiola was born.

Displayed around the store are a number of Italian-specialty products, including extra virgin olive oils in decorative ceramic vessels, antipasti fixings such as bagged bruschetta toasts and friselline, amaretti cookies, and imported Italian pizza dough mixes. Something new that sounds intriguing to me is a set of Michelin-starred chef dinner kits, which includes ingredients for cooking and a QR code to create your meal in real-time alongside the featured chef online. Customers can also expect cannoli with a traditional chocolate and vanilla filling, made by the Baghettis, inside a crisp shell, mailed directly from Sicily. Heads up for imported panettone to arrive closer to Christmastime and new products being rotated into the pocket-sized space on a regular basis.

If the goods sound appealing, but the DIY approach does not, the family will continue to offer catering and eventually plans to launch a dinner service for drop-off and pickup, which could include minestrone soup, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, filled pasta, some meats, and dessert. Simply call ahead to discuss your options and pricing.

The Baghettis are raising two young sons, Matteo and Stefano, alongside their specialty shop, so they’re open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., which is plenty of time to get your mangia on. Parking is plentiful, but I might eat all the cannoli, so you should get there soon.

Katherine Roberts is a mid-Valley-based writer and marketing professional who could not be more excited about an Italian specialty food shop in the ‘hood. She can be reached via her marketing and communications firm, Carington Creative, at katherine@caringtoncreative.com.