Pasta & More offers all kinds of popular Italian foods

CLARENCE - Jia Passucci spent two years living in New York City, and if she wanted some homemade pasta, it certainly wasn't very hard to find. It's not quite the same on this side of the state, where pasta shops aren’t quite as plentiful.

"In New York, you have places like that everywhere that sell homemade pasta," she said. "But here, it's not like that. We have a few vendors around here but there aren't many places here in Buffalo that make and sell homemade pasta."

So Passucci decided to take advantage of that – as well as her love for cooking. Along with her husband Dave, she started a business called Pasta & More. The specialty food shop, located in the Transit Valley Plaza at 5845 Transit Road in East Amherst, opened on Jan. 2 and the customers have liked what they've seen.

"It's going very well," she said. "We're starting to get more and more people in."

Pasta & More offers all kinds of popular Italian foods. That has homemade fresh pastas, gnocchi, fettuccini and ravioli. You can find tagliatelle, which Passucci said "is just a fancier name that's a little wider than fettuccini." Pasta & More also has penne and spinach and peppers and foods in any kinds of flavors that customers desire.

"We have all kinds of fun shapes,” Passcussi said. “We can do the fusilli, the penne and trine, which is a triangle-shaped pasta; We do and all kinds of shapes. We can do a lot of things."

There are of course also homemade sauces that people love. Pasta & More also offers authentic dumplings, sandwiches, salads, fresh breads and a lot more. There are also desserts, including cookies and more.

Her restaurant background goes back to – well, Jan. 2. She's always liked to cook, but Pasta & More is her first restaurant endeavor.

"I enjoy cooking very much," she said. "Prior to this, I did not have any restaurant experience, so this is a great learning experience for me as well."

Pascucci is also a certified public accountant and a well-respected tax preparer in the Williamsville area. That sure comes in handy when it comes to the business side of things.

“My background definitely adds to the advantage of me running the store,” she said.

And the Passuccis life-long love of cooking has helped make Pasta & More a quick success. And there’s plenty more to come.

For more information, visit www.pastaandmore.net or call 716-668-0088.