The basement of John and Lolita Kreckman's Lakeside home differs from others in a noteworthy way: It houses Richmond's newest pasta-making operation. In December, the couple — who learned the culinary art through Lolita's work as the pasta maker at a Key West, Fla., restaurant — launched Bombolini Pasta.
John loves that the process hasn't changed much in hundreds of years. "The machines are still basically the same," he says.
At the request of family members, the Kreckmans created cinnamon pasta to pair with a Parmesan-butter sauce — marking the beginning of their experimentation. Soon, the Kreckmans were creating carrot, black-bean and beet pastas that offer hints of flavor to complement various sauces. As long as the ingredients can be chopped up small enough to move through the machine, Kreckman explains, the sky's the limit.
Bombolini Pasta is available at Ellwood Thompson's Local Market, and the Kreckmans are exploring distribution elsewhere, too. For more information, visit bombolinipasta.com.
