Meet the Calabrian pasta maker bringing a taste of his hometown to Market

Not many Market stalls come with a story that starts in a small town on the toe of the Italian boot and finishes with fresh squid ink pasta on a Saturday morning in Mitchell. Sal’s Pastaficio is one of them.

Salvatore, known to most Market regulars simply as Sal, grew up in the southern Italian region of Calabria, where food sat right at the centre of family life.

“Growing up, I was surrounded by the traditions of making fresh pasta and sharing homemade meals,” he says. “Those experiences continue to inspire everything I do today.”

From the family table to the Market shed

Sal has always loved cooking, and has always had a passion for fresh Italian produce and traditional Italian food. Turning that into a business was a dream he carried with him for years.

“My dream was to one day share my culture and heritage through something I truly love doing,” he says. “Making fresh pasta allows me to bring a taste of my hometown and the traditions I grew up with to the community.”

Today Sal’s Pastaficio, formerly Nonna Maria’s Pasta, is a small family business that Sal runs alongside his wife and their three children. The pasta is made without preservatives or additives, and Sal also makes traditional Italian sauces using locally sourced ingredients wherever he can.

What Sal cooks when he gets the choice

Ask him to name a favourite dish and the answer heads straight back to the Calabrian coast.

“My favourite pasta dish is fresh squid ink pasta with squid and prawns in a light tomato sauce,” he says. “It’s simple, full of flavour, and reminds me of the fresh seafood and coastal cooking of Calabria.”

It’s a good reminder that fresh pasta does not need much help. A handful of quality ingredients, a light sauce and a short cooking time will usually do more than a long list of extras.

Saturday mornings are the best part

For Sal, the Market is about far more than what goes across the table.

“I love being able to share a little piece of my Italian culture with the community through my fresh pasta,” he says. “One of the best parts is seeing familiar faces each week, chatting with customers, and hearing how they’ve enjoyed my pasta with their family and friends. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

That sense of connection is really the whole point.

“Making fresh pasta isn’t just my business, it’s my way of sharing the traditions and flavours I grew up with in Calabria,” Sal says. “I hope every meal made with my pasta brings people together, just as it did around my family’s table.”

Find Sal at the Market

You will find Sal’s Pastaficio at Market every Saturday from 7am to 11.30am Bring a cooler bag, ask Sal what he has made fresh that morning, then build dinner around it. Somewhere in Calabria, a Nonna would approve.

This Saturday 8 August Sal will be hosting pasta making and cooking demonstrations next to his stall at 8am and 9:30am. You definitely don’t want to miss this.