MOM'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK | Al Dente Pasta Artists, A West Suburban Favorite

BUON APPETITO!

I grew up surrounded by women who loved to cook! My mom, my grandma, my aunts, my cousins – we have strong food traditions in our family, and we love to eat – especially pasta! However, after all these years, the one thing I never learned to do was make homemade pasta; so, when I saw Al Dente Pasta Artists would come to my home and teach us – I was so excited; and although over the next couple of months they will need to operate slightly differently, they are going to be posting pasta making and pasta projects videos via www.facebook.com/aldentepastaartists/ with their own kids while we all practice social distancing! So, join them online from anywhere around the world and have fun at home learning from the best! Soon enough, regardless of where you live in the western suburbs – from Hinsdale to Naperville to Wheaton to Oswego to Geneva, they will bring all the equipment to your homes, pots, pans, forks, ladles, ingredients - and – the Italian accent.

In our previous personal experience, we all loved Monica and Valentina - who not only brought their cooking expertise; but also shared their passion, authenticity, and genuine love for teaching others about their Italian heritage. Tessa invited a couple of her friends, along with their mothers to join us in our session. Three moms – three teenagers – zero iPhones for two hours! Our hands were busy mixing flour and egg to make our dough from scratch. We then chopped, grated, and sautéed items for our sauce of choice, and proceeded to rollout our dough through the pasta machine. Next came the big aha! moment where we sliced it and voila – we had noodles! We were all so excited when we unrolled the noodles and saw that we did it! We actually made noodles! We then sat as a group and enjoyed dinner together and felt so proud of our work! It was positively delicious and such an enjoyable afternoon for us moms to spend with our daughters! As they say in Italy –Esattamente perfetto! Knead. Laugh. Eat! OVERVIEW Al Dente Pasta Artist Owners, Monica and Valentina are two Italian women who moved from Milan 4 years ago and love teaching the west suburban community how to make homemade fresh pasta and the best sauce to pair with it. They bring it everything and clean up everything – all you need to do is gather around the table, roll up your sleeves and get ready to knead your own dough, laugh together, and eat an authentic pasta dish made by you. For the time being – join them online! Al Dente Pasta Artists (630) 636-1025 (954) 646-2571 www.aldentepastaworkshop.com Hours: Call to schedule a time and date that works best for you! Price $: Purchase gift cards with $20 off the prices shown on their website.

ABOUT THE WRITER Naperville mom Kristen Kucharski graduated from Illinois State University in 1992 with an International Business Degree. She has two energetic daughters and her house is always full of children. Kristen’s column titled, Mom's Little Black Book, is a monthly feature written for moms who are looking for ways to keep their kids busy.