Science says that pasta makes us happy.
No, I didn’t make this up.
According to a survey conducted in Italy (granted, with support from the Barilla Group), the findings suggest that every forkful of twirled linguine and sauce-filled tube of ziti can be associated with reduced stress and happy feels, creating an overall improvement in quality of life.
I am not a scientist, but I know what a plate of spaghetti with anchovies and garlic does for my mood. It all tracks.
October is National Pasta Month, and if you’re going to celebrate, why not go with fresh?
“I’ve had a love affair with fresh pasta since my first trip to Assisi in Italy and attended my first pasta-making class with a nonna (grandma) who brought with her all of her worldly wisdom,” says Kevin Fonzo, the chef behind La Tavola, which pops up regularly at The Kitchen House in College Park.
“I love the passion and the history. I love that these women have been making pasta since they were teenagers, and that something as simple as flour and egg or flour and water can turn into this majestic meal that can feed so many people
Best Italian: 2026 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards
Fonzo makes fresh pasta for virtually all his dinners, though dry, he says, can be just as good, depending on its use.
“Fresh pasta is more of a northern product in my experience. It’s usually a larger, softer, more flexible noodle and often used for ravioli or tortellini. Wider noodles like pappardelle can hold more sauce like a ragu or a Bolognese.”
If you’re going to eat fresh, of course, you should also eat local. Read on for some fine fresh pasta purveyors right here in the City Beautiful.
Amy Drew Thompson / Orlando Sentinel
The signature CupPasta sauce, creamy and bacon-loaded, is the most popular. Red pepper flakes are a nice add-in if you take it home to prepare yourself. Grated Locatelli, too. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
CupPasta & Pizza Oviedo
Even as the landscape within Oviedo Mall changes, CupPasta & Pizza continues its run in the food court, doubtless in part for the fresh pasta to go that’s showcased in baskets behind the stall’s glass barrier. This spot’s full service, not a market, which means you can grab a cup to eat and walk, or to sit and enjoy before or after a movie at the Regal Theater upstairs, but it’s also a quick place to pop in and choose from a selection of varieties to take home and boil up in six minutes flat.
More info: Located inside the Oviedo Mall, 1510 Oviedo Mall Blvd. in Oviedo, 407-542-1546; slicelife.com/restaurants/fl/oviedo/32765/cuppasta-pizza/menu
Fresh, frozen pasta lines the freezer shelves at D’Amico & Sons in Oviedo. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
D’Amico & Sons Italian Market & Bakery
Tucked into the very same mall, D’Amico & Sons received an abundance of love from me recently for having the most authentic New York-style BEC (bacon, egg and cheese) I have found anywhere in the Orlando metro. Within a few steps of the counter where you can order these heavenly cholesterol bombs, tucked into perfect, pillowy Kaiser rolls, there are several freezers containing fresh pasta, from simple ribbons of pappardelle to cavatelli with ricotta and loads of ravioli. Side note: nearby Cavallari Gourmet (1954 W. State Road 426 in Oviedo, 407-365-8000; cavallarigourmet.com) carries a small selection of fresh and frozen pasta as well.
More info: 1700 Oviedo Mall Blvd. in Oviedo, 407-542-0783; damicoandsonsmarket.com
Dalmoro’s will be celebrating National Pasta Month and Day (Oct. 17) with a host of specials, but you can always take home fresh pasta to make at home. (Courtesy Food X Feels)
Dalmoro’s Fresh Italian
Much like CupPasta in Oviedo, Dalmoro’s is a choose-your-own-adventure spot inside The Mall at Millenia. Dine-in, take-out or just bring home fresh pasta to cook up in your own kitchen. Heck, you can do all three if you want, and they’ve planned ahead for National Pasta Month to make things even more appealing. Throughout October, specials abound, including Meatball Monday (free three-piece meatball add-on with any fresh pasta purchase) and Midweek Amore (BOGO fresh pasta after 5 p.m.). On Oct. 17, National Pasta Day, there will be more perks and surprises. They’ve also got fresh black pasta available all month for your Halloween pleasure. Good time for fans to line up, good time for the curious to check them out.
More info: Located inside The Mall at Millenia, 4200 Conroy Road in Orlando, 407-237-0992; dalmoros.us
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Massimo’s Artisan Pasta
Not gonna lie. I watch videos on this local maker’s Instagram account, and even if I just had lunch, I instantly long for a bowl of whatever hypnotic shape is coming out of that extruder. Since 2014, Massimo Montanini and his wife, Margherita, have been supplying the kitchens of Orlando, professional and home, with the stuff your most carb-laden dreams are made of: spaghetti, casarecce, linguine and more, as well as stuffed varieties.
More info: 4211 Edgewater Drive in Orlando, 407-420-8139; massimosartisanpasta.com
You can pick up Orlando City Pasta to go (and not just ravioli, either) at seven different area farmer’s markets, or have them shipped right to your door. (Courtesy Orlando City Pasta)
Orlando City Pasta
The West Side isn’t bereft of options … which brings us to Orlando City Pasta. As prolific a Winter Garden-local could be, you’ll find them at metro-area markets within and without, proffering traditional, egg and even gluten-free pasta offerings. Flavored varieties (garlic, basil, more). And speaking of more, Orlando City does pasta classes. They do online ordering. They even do home delivery. Check out their site and schedule, but in the interim, their hours of operation at area markets are as follows…
More info: Find them at Windermere Farmers Market on Fridays; Lakeland, Ocala, Winter Garden, Winter Haven and Winter Park Farmers Markets on Saturdays and Orlando Farmers Market at Lake Eola Park on Sundays; 407-656-1077; orlandocitypasta.com
Amy Drew Thompson / Orlando Sentinel
All pastas at Turci Pasta, including the king mushroom pappardelle, are made in-house. You can take them home to yours and create your own special dish. (Courtesy Turci Pasta)
Turci Pasta
It’s been a few years since Nathalia Kalil and Vinicius Turci took over the Trevi Pasta space in College Park, and since then, they have truly made it their own. In fact, they’ve made other spaces their own, too, with CP sandwich shop Turci Panino next door (soon to be Turci Italian Deli and moving to 3009 Edgewater) and Winter Park’s Luca Turci, the latter serving similar fresh plates to folks in both neighborhoods and those who venture in from outside. It’s the original shop, however, where one can take home the fresh pasta that fans are stabbing and twirling on the reg. Gnocchi, tagliatelle, fettuccine and more.
More info: 2120 Edgewater Drive in Orlando, 321-204-7525; turcipasta.com
Fresh cockscomb pasta from Foreign Market, a new online ordering concept from chef Bruno Fonseca of Foreigner Restaurant in Orlando’s Audubon Park neighborhood. (Courtesy Foreign Market)
Coming soon: Foreign Market
And now we’ve come full circle. By the time this posts, you should be able to click the link below and enter into chef Bruno Fonseca’s latest undertaking: Foreign Market, where everything from pickles and conservas to dry-aged meats to foie gras mousse and fresh pies and tarts and his restaurant’s famous black garlic and truffle butter (heaven with a whisper of Maldon salt) is available to purchase. Also: fresh pasta including creste de galo (cocks comb), a popular, ruffly offering guests often enjoy in the restaurant)
More info: Pick up at Foreigner Restaurant, 2816 Corrine Drive in Orlando, 321-517-6985; exploretock.com/foreignerrestaurant
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.