Keila Stapleton, whose handmade pastas have become a regular part of the local farmers market scene, is expanding with the addition of a retail location.
Stapleton has opened Pasta Al Dente by Keila at 731 North Grand Ave. East, in the former location of Sam’s Pizza. Pasta Al Dente will offer a rotating menu of handmade Italian favorites in a grab-and-go format.
For example, for her opening week, Stapleton’s menu included grab-and-go pastas such as pappardelle, casarecce and gnocchi, along with a hot-ready meal option of fresh gnocchi with homemade sauce and tiramisu for dessert. In addition to the rotating menu items, frozen homemade pastas and sauces will be available on an ongoing basis.
“The menu will change every week, or maybe every two weeks,” Stapleton said. “I am still evaluating and figuring things out.”
Pasta Al Dente will be open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Stapleton will continue to sell her Italian cuisine at the Old Capitol Farmers Market in downtown Springfield, where she has been a vendor for the past six years, as well as at the farmers market in Peoria. Stapleton also takes her wares to the annual Illinois Product Expo at the State Fairgrounds.
She has been using the commercial kitchen on North Grand Avenue for the past year to make the pastas, sauces and desserts she sells at the farmers markets and officially opened the front of the former restaurant space for retail sales on Feb. 25.
A native of Brazil, Stapleton spent 19 years living in Italy, where she developed a love for cooking. She went on to attend chef’s school in northern Italy, and all of her menu items are based on the cuisine of northern Italy.
“I learned a lot about a lot of things in chef’s school, but what I really loved to do pasta,” she said. “I love to make pasta.”
She said she is happy to have another venue where she can serve the loyal customers she has connected with over the years at the farmers markets.
“Today it was raining (at the farmers market), but I still had a line to buy my pastas,” she said. “I have good customers who know me and love me.”