The First Annual Celebration of Pasta Recap

The Deets

The 1st Annual Celebration of Pasta presented by the IACC and True Italian Taste took place on May 20th from 2pm-5pm at The Bayou Events Center off of Knight Road. There were over 20 vendors and restaurants from the surrounding Houston area and the event had a turn out of over 450 people!

What is the IACC & True Italian Taste? 

The IACC stands for Italy America Chamber of Commerce and it is a non profit organization with a primary goal to promote trade relations between Italy and the United States. The IACC is headquarted in Houston with chambers in Austin and Dallas.

True Italian Taste is a project collaborated by the Italian government, The Ministry of Economic Devlopment and Assocamerestero “for the greater diffusion and knowledge of the authentic Italian agri-food product.”

The Breakdown

Carb- loading was in full effect on Sunday, May 20th! Pasta was eaten, wine was flowing, and winners were announced! Each $35 ticket to the event got you 2 drink tickets for wine or beer and unlimited samples from all vendors in the building. Let me tell you, I have been to many food festivals and The Celebration of Pasta is one of the best bang for your buck!!

Among the slew of restaurants were Amalfi, Cane Rosso, Pasta e Pesto, Nick’s Fish Dive & Oyster Bar, Maggiano’s Mia Bella, Carmelo’s, and many more. Check out a complete list here. I was extremely impressed by the variety and diversity of types of pasta served at the festival. There was everything from dumplings to rigatoni and ravioli to macaroni and cheese. The event also included large chain restaurants and small mom and pop shops!  All of the restaurant vendors were super friendly and their portion sizes were great. Also, the lines weren’t long at all. There were enough vendors and space that all the stations flowed smoothly. No bottlenecks like other events I have been to in the past. I left full and happy…. for multiple reasons which I will get to a little later !

The event was also extremely family friendly! There was truly something for everyone. Olive oil tasting from Taste Entimio, Balani Custom Clothiers , and other goodies for purchase from Italian purveyors: DellaCasa Pasta and Dolce Affeto . There was even a pasta making station set up for the kids which was super cute! Next time, I will definitely bring my nieces and nephews to partake in the fun.

My Personal Favs:

I struggled to try everything at the event because I was so full but I was successful in my endeavor and I don’t regret a calorie! Here is a list my favorites.

• Seafood Lasagna from Nick’s Fish Dive & Oyster Bar
• Dumplings from Mia Bella
• Fusilil with Lamb Ragu from Fresco Cafe Italiano
• Lobster Mac N Cheese from The Art Institute
• Dan Dan Pasta from Mala Sichuan
• Whipped Ricotta Crositini from Carmelo’s

The Wrap – Up

I am SO excited to announce that I, “The Broke Foodie”, WON THE PASTA BLOGGER COMPETITION! I am going to Italy y’all! I am beyond grateful and so excited to partner with the IACC and True Italian Taste to go to Italy and help promote true Italian made products :).

Roberto Crescini of Fresco Cafe Italiano won the Pasta Festival compeition with his flavorful and cheesy fusilil with Lamb Ragu! Justin Santellana of Nick’s Fish Dive & Oyster Bar was the runner up with their seafood lasagna and Giancarlo Ferrara of Almalfi was second runner up with their paccheri filled with ricotta and braised veal/ topped with black summer truffles. Congrats to all of the winners!!!!

The event was a true melting pot of Italian flavors, products, and culture.  I can’t wait to see it grow and transform over the years.  I will definitely be back next year to check out more pasta.

Grazie Mille

-The Broke Foodie