Two Pasta Queens’ Dreams Become Reality As They Open La Pastaia In Bay Park

La Pastaia, a Venetian-style Italian restaurant, has opened its doors in Bay Park.

The restaurant is owned and operated by two women who moved to the United States from Sicily, Italy in their early 20s to chase their dream of opening their own Italian restaurant.

The restaurant’s name, La Pastaia, means “The Pasta Lady.”

The Dynamic Duo: Owners with a Timeless Legacy

La Pastaia is the brainchild of a dynamic duo whose expertise and love for the culinary arts span through generations. Hailing from Italy themselves, the owners bring a wealth of knowledge, passion, and family tradition to Bay Park.

Native Sicilian Priscilla Scardina is gifted with pasta-making hands and heart. Priscilla recalls how at the young age of four her mother taught her to make homemade pasta with her tiny fingers.

She reminisced how, “The kitchen would come alive as the smell of garlic, basil, tomatoes, and rosemary filled the room and told stories of our Italian heritage.” Her love of authenticity and fine ingredients is evident in the recipes used to curate the menu.

Priscilla believes La Pastaia is how she can continue her Italian mother’s legacy of good food and family in a way that serves her community.

Maria Lo Cascio is the lead floor manager and throughout the past months she has led the design team in transforming La Pastaia into a remanence of her family’s restaurant.

Throughout the design phase, Maria took inspiration from her family’s restaurant in Sicily with Venetian-like attributes.

“It fills my heart with nostalgia and excitement as I embark on this new chapter together, embracing the timeless bond that food and family weave in my life,” she confessed.

Food Worth Waiting For!

In addition to the opportunity to indulge in the pillowy goodness of homemade gnocchi or a satisfying mouthful of Mezzi Maniche Carbonara, La Pastaia’s menu extends beyond irresistible pasta creations.

Gourmet Handmade pizza and Italian veggie dishes are available, too!

Some of Priscilla’s favorites that bring memories from her childhood are, mafalde all barca which is a homemade marinara, ricotta cheese served in a roasted eggplant, and the spigola dish, which is a freshly caught sea bass, herb crusted, served with champagne emulsion.