When you think of a pasta making class, most would imagine it taking place in a basic culinary school setting. The highly reviewed restaurant Scarpetta took that concept and enveloped it within a three-course gourmet meal and wine experience, all inside the modern interiors of their NoMad district location in New York City.
The opportunity to enjoy Scarpetta’s signature spaghetti made from scratch is enjoyable enough. But their pasta making class invites you on a behind the scenes tour of their state-of-the-art NYC kitchen. Attendees get to throw on an apron and help make the fresh made pasta from simple ingredients, follow it through a series of techniques, and see how the base pasta ends up in several of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Mix in Scarpetta’s delicious appetizers, crudo, and dessert, as well as fine wine pairing with each course, and you have an afternoon well spent.
Total Food Service had the opportunity to speak with LDV Hospitality’s John Meadow (the founder of Scarpetta) about their objectives for offering pasta making in NYC, and how it connects to the local community now and onward.
When the new location of Scarpetta opened, what was the goal for the experience that you were looking for when you launched? How has that experience evolved?
We wanted to ensure that despite the expansion of the interior of the room and the new location, that the essence of the Scarpetta brand was translated in the new space and that it still felt like comfortable and familiar place for our regulars and new guests alike. The experience evolved in to something that we could only dream of. We are so excited about the response we have gotten from our guests, and our daily and nightly service feels exactly like we had hoped it would.
What’s Scarpetta‘s approach to reaching out to the neighborhoods it serves?
We did a lot of friends and family hosting when we first opened, offering our new neighbors and community members an opportunity to try the restaurant and meet our team. The people who work and live within the community are everything to our business. We do a lot of community driven events, both onsite at the restaurant and offsite to support different galas and non-profits. Scarpetta will be cooking a course in the Madison Square Park benefit dinner this year so we’re really looking forward to that! We also donate many silent auction items for smaller fundraisers looking for support – such a local schools and firehouses.
It sounds as if the idea of a Pasta Making Class in NYC fits the “giving back to the community” beautifully? Where did the idea come from?
Every day we’re grateful to get hundreds of pictures and comments from our guests about how much they love the spaghetti. It’s our signature dish and has been the sweetheart of the menu since we opened in 2008. Our Head of Marketing for LDV wanted to provide a unique way for guests to continue to interact with the dish, and felt that bringing the guest in to our kitchen to meet the chef and learn how to make the dish would allow us to connect even further with our guest.
What are your goals for the monthly pasta program?
We just want people to have fun! We hope that this can be an experience where people from all places come together to enjoy themselves for an afternoon, learn something new and meet new people. That’s really what Scarpetta is all about – a communal dining experience and a place for all guests to indulge with good wine and good, and good company.
Tickets Available for Purchase Here. Limited Series, based on availability
Pasta Making & Wine Tasting at Scarpetta NYC
88 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10001
- 10 seats available per class
- Class time: 11:30am – 2:30pm
- Class schedule is as follows:
- Saturday, February 16th (great for Valentine’s day!)
- Saturday, March 16th
- Saturday, April 13th
- Saturday, May 11th (great for mother’s day!)
- Saturday, June 15th
- Saturday, July 13th
- More classes and dates may open up but not guaranteed
About Scarpetta: Scarpetta – LDV Hospitality’s signature flagship restaurant – first launched in New York’s Meatpacking District in 2008. Celebrating its ten year anniversary in NYC in 2018, the restaurant moved to The James Hotel in New York’s dynamic NoMad District, expanding the restaurant and the Scarpetta story. In 2008, Scarpetta received a James Beard nomination for “Best New Restaurant in America,” as well as a coveted three-star review from The New York Times. The philosophy of Scarpetta’s kitchen is to create bold flavors by amplifying the essence of seasonal ingredients. The signature pastas are made in-house daily and are paired with the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients. Scarpetta’s famous Spaghetti Tomato & Basil is nothing short of classic simplicity in both taste and preparation. The restaurant’s understated, yet elegant approach to design creates an environment that is simultaneously chic, welcoming, and inspiring.
About LDV Hospitality: In 2008, John Meadow founded LDV Hospitality to the critical acclaim of Scarpetta, soon followed by American Cut and Dolce Italian. LDV is based in New York City, and today operates 27 food and beverage outlets in eight cities throughout the country. In addition to its three signature brands, LDV develops bespoke concepts for hotels and resorts, working with iconic partners such as The James NoMad in NYC, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Gurney’s Resort Montauk, The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, and others.
