Chef Laine Myers of Oro (Photo by Jacqui Photography)
The 30s are a pivotal time in people’s lives. Many of us tend to settle in a bit, whether in our relationships, careers or routines. There’s a comfort that comes with the decade, a deeper understanding of who we are and what drives us. For local chef Laine Myers of pasta purveyor Oro, her 30s have been the most formative years of her life.
“[It’s said] you really haven’t found your identity in cooking until your 30s, and I think that’s so true,” Myers says.
Her cooking is marked now by learned restraint, less fuss and flair. She’s swayed by ingredients, nourished by travels to Italy and time spent with locals, and has bid farewell to the days of 10 touches to a plate. It’s been a humbling but rewarding ride.
“I’ve had complete ego death in the last four years, total death of my ego, I’m happy saying it,” Myers says. “I always wanted to do something that was a little bit less about those I worked for and more about me, and that’s kind of how Oro was born.”
What that mindset has done is allow Myers to steadily establish her own culinary identity. Five years after its initial inception as a pop-up, and a wildly successful chapter as a pasta retailer, Oro is ready to settle down. Myers has secured a brick-and-mortar space at 2000 Venable St. in Union Hill, with plans to introduce a reimagined Oro by the end of 2024. The vision: a pasta-leaning, veg-heavy, Italian restaurant complete with an amaro bar and cozy 40-seat patio.
“I think at this point, people who are newer to Oro and newer [to] purchasing from us or coming to a pop-up, a lot of people don’t know [my] chef background of a decade,” she says.
Although her reputation as a farmers market pasta presence may precede her, Myers worked the line for over 10 years. The VCU grad’s resume includes stints at L’Opossum and the now-shuttered Graffiatto, and time leading the kitchens at Metzger Bar & Butchery and the bygone Nota Bene. She originally launched Oro as a pop-up at the end of 2019, and six months later, she decided to pursue the venture full time.
When the pandemic hit, Myers did what she knew best: extrude pasta.
“I was so into the pasta; it was always the thing I loved to do the most,” she says. “It was a natural transition. It was really started as a food pop-up, a restaurant, and emerged into pasta at markets.”
Oro has been a regular vendor at St. Stephen’s Farmers Market, Birdhouse Farmers Market and the farmers market at IX Art Park in Charlottesville. Myers is often joined by her partner, Adriana Simmons; her mother, Pam; and occasionally her dogs, Ginger Cookie and Eva. Eager customers approach the Oro stand, where red wheat radiatore, black garlic gemelli swirls, conch-shaped basil gnochetti and nests of bucatini are showcased on the table, along with a seasonal ravioli and sauce. Myers uses local flour from Deep Roots Milling and Grapewood Farms, and her pasta is known to weave in produce from fellow market vendors and friends.
Moving forward with intention, Myers feels that every aspect of bringing this restaurant vision to life is important, from the feel of the bar stools — backs required — to the placement of the ice machine. That unwavering attention to detail connected her with Richmond designer Julie Roberts.
Half of the duo behind pop-up Sunday Bagel and a James Beard Award-winner for Outstanding Restaurant Design, Roberts has brought to life local spaces such as Pizza Bones, Lillian and Lost Letter. Asked about restaurants that inspire her, Myers immediately notes Brooklyn, New York, hits Theodoro, Misi and Lilia, the latter (like the Venable Street space) a converted auto body shop.
“Sitting down with Julie has been the most inspiring part about everything,” Myers says. “The aesthetic of this place, overall, we’re going for natural stone, terra cotta. Natural, warmer tones of the terra cotta, this travertine slate tile that warms it all up.”
Part of her vision includes a six-top party table, funky artwork and a central bar. Formerly housing a garage and later Korean and barbecue restaurants, the space has everything Myers was looking for.
“It was just instantaneously clear; I can see people enjoying themselves, I can see these garage doors open, and I can see celling fans and a slight breeze and really refreshing cocktails and great food. I can see it happening.”
Diners can expect popular dishes from Oro’s pop-ups to make a return — within season, of course. Myers mentions a beet salad with bitter greens such as pink radicchio, Cambozola (a mellow blue cheese) mousse, orange-caramel vinaigrette and hazelnut dukkah (an herb-nut-spice mixture); eggplant Parmesan during peak summer with mozzarella and basil; pork meatballs, lamb sugo and sourdough tonarelli with wild mushrooms.
“We’ve done tons of menus, a new menu every week for a year, and it’s kind of great to look back on that and [draw from] what was overwhelmingly successful, the really heavy hitters,” she says.
For those who love making Oro pasta in their home kitchens, that won’t change. Myers say she will continue to offer fresh, handmade pasta at farmers markets, at least in Richmond.
While some chefs and restaurateurs can be in a rush to secure a space, thirsty for that next step, Myers has come to understand that every moment — from gaining a following to losing a space to contemplating putting a brick-and-mortar venture on pause — is part of the process.
“We have been patient, we have waited, and we have never been the concept that had five pop-ups and thought we needed to become an overnight restaurant, even when the Instagram following blew up to 3,000 followers in one month,” Myers says. “We were smart enough to say, ‘This is a phase, this is just what it is at the start of anything.’ It’s been about patience, time and really thinking it through, because I didn’t want to miss a detail, I didn’t want to skip a beat, I didn’t want to have wrong judgement due to feeling good, I didn’t want to f--- it up. So we have really taken our time.”
