About | Gold Pasta Lab

Gold Pasta Lab

The origin story

I’m Sara, a passionate pasta-maker and teacher. Wherever I am, pasta makes me feel at home. This is the feeling I want to share with you.

During the COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, while working as a digital strategist and living life through screens, my fingers were itching to make something real. I took out my Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine, a years-ago gift from my brother, and got my hands into some flour. Making pasta became a source of calm and fun, a way to nourish my body and spirit. I took virtual classes and practiced, folding cappelletti and scraping orecchiette over and over again. When I began to work with a teacher to learn how to use a mattarello—a long rolling pin perfectly crafted for turning a ball of dough into a smooth sfoglia—I started dreaming of Italy.

My partner and I quit our jobs in 2022 to travel the world for 15 months. We lived in Bologna, the city of tortellini and ragù bolognese, and explored the cucina povera of Puglia. My teachers in the art of making pasta fresca were professional chefs and instructors, home cooks with generations of pasta excellence in their blood, restaurants, and the people of Italy—all of whom have their own special recipes, techniques, and preferences for pasta. Between a morning cappuccino and an evening amaro were hours of rolling, filling, shaping, saucing, and eating pasta. I had never been happier.

As we visited other countries, we met with home cooks to learn about local food traditions and classic dishes. I began dreaming of a workshop—inspired by Italy’s pasta laboratorio—where people would gather together to celebrate home cooking, make fresh pasta, and enjoy a shared meal. I wanted to combine my professional coaching and facilitation experience with my passion for making pasta and hosting dinner parties. Over a two-week trek in the Himalayas, I sketched my first concrete ideas for this business.

This is Gold Pasta Lab: a wandering workshop where we cook with heart and create community.