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August 13 2010
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Eugene -
Find It - Eugene
Simple is best. That’s the conclusion of a duo of Eugene business partners who use only two ingredients in their main product: flour and eggs. Stir in a good portion of hard work and you have Pasta Plus, the creation of Susan Jones and her partner, Okito.
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| Photo: Marilee Reyes |
The Backstory
Okito, who prefers the single name, built houses until the market fell in early 1980. After weighing different options, he finally decided on food. “People always have to eat,” he said. Since practically everyone eats pasta, if they developed a good product, it should sell. But -- only fresh pasta made the Old World way would do, with an emphasis on fresh.
Check out the pasta-making-process slideshow
Jones had contemplated opening a fabric business before pasta took over her life, but she has no regrets. “I think if there was a world pasta competition, we’d be right up there,” she said.
After settling on the recipe, they started production in 1981, with an original pesto sauce becoming the “plus” factor. The pasta recipe has not changed, except to add seasoning for the sweet red pepper or the herb-flavored pastas.
Pasta Production Team
Four full-time employees turn out 700 pounds of pasta twice a week. It's sold through market chains and specialty markets from Ashland to Portland, plus a number of restaurants.
Sarah O’Grady is the manager. Pasta makers are Eva Lopez and Scott Erdman. Prajna Cole rounds out the staff by helping and making deliveries.
Making Magic Happen
They arrive at 5 a.m. on production days and after a good hand scrubbing -- visualize doctors prepping for surgery -- they start cracking eggs: three eggs for every pound of pasta. For each batch, 25 pounds of their own blend of semolina and durum and the eggs go into the hopper of an Italian-made pasta kneading machine.
Okito emphasizes that the pasta is kneaded and cut, not extruded. Extrusion, he says, causes tough pasta. Pasta Plus aims for tender.
When it’s ready, rollers at the bottom of the hopper press out a two-foot wide strip of thin pasta. Gracefully it folds into soft accordion pleats. At regular intervals, Erdman cuts a length, takes it to a spotless table where he applies a light sprinkling of rice flour to prevent sticking and stretches it, then cuts it into 24-inch sheets. After lunch they start the process of cutting the pasta sheets into noodles and package it.
“It’s a very simple process,” says Okito, “but that’s why it tastes like homemade.”
Seal of Approval
Davide Mulone, owner of Noli Italian Café at 5th Street Market, was born in Italy and learned to cook in the family restaurant. He uses only Pasta Plus at Noli. “I grew up eating my mother’s fresh pasta, but I have to say I think theirs is the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Where to buy Pasta Plus: Click on the Web site at www.mypastaplus.com. Pasta Plus is at 385 W. 2nd Ave. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Wednesday. Call first on other days, (541) 345-1133.
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