Do you know what pasta tastes like? Not Alfredo sauce. Not pesto. Not marinara. The noodle itself.
“There’s actually flavor in wheat,” says Gabriel Key, the artisan and owner behind Foggy Mountain Pasta. He sources heritage and heirloom varieties of grains grown and ground in North Carolina, where he started the business three years ago. Moving back to Virginia this winter, Key now operates out of Lorton’s food business incubator, Frontier Kitchen.
From a catalog of about 30 different shapes—from the better-known buccatini (long and thin and hollow in the center) to cresto de gallo (translated to crown of the rooster, which is like a thick, rounded elbow shape but also frilly and wavy)—Key offers a rotating selection each week at 11 markets across the region.
As a fresh product, the pasta lasts about a week in the fridge and only needs two minutes in a hard boil. Key also taught cooking classes in his culinary career, and suggests his pasta shines in no more than a drizzle of oil and vinegar. Don’t overthink it. He often tells his customers, “I trust you, you’ll be fine.” //$8-$10 for 8 ounces
This post was originally published in our August 2019 issue. Interested in more food content? Subscribe to our monthly print magazine and weekly e-newsletter.
