As the city reopens and restaurants come back to life through diners flocking for seats on busy patios, the big question "what happens to the food-related home businesses that began as a result of the pandemic" arises.
Some have shuttered for good, others insist they'll be back soon, but Jess Maiorano is standing her ground. Working hard to make her dreams a reality, Maiorano said 'Pasta Forever' and she meant it, with her first restaurant officially on the way soon.
After getting laid off from her position as a pasta chef at Woodlot, a now-shuttered restaurant on Palmerston Avenue, Maiorano fell back on what she knows best -- pasta -- to keep working.
Offering fresh pasta deliveries and hosting virtual pasta-making classes, always with rotating varieties, this pasta chef shared her thoughts on preferring to work for herself, not wanting to return to a restaurant unless it was her own and she really followed through with her statement.
"If the business keeps growing, I won’t ever go back to a restaurant.”
As a result of the success of her beloved online business, which grew tremendously over the course of the pandemic, to the delight of many, Maiorano announced on Instagram today that she secured a location along Dundas West and hopes to open the doors to her own restaurant -- Pasta Forever, in November.
Despite having to devote a significant amount of time over the next couple of months to turn this empty space into a permanent home, Maiorano confirms that fresh pasta deliveries will still be offered up until the opening day and will still be continued once the store opens, as long as the demand is still there.
"We’re hoping to offer in-person classes and private dinners with rotating chefs." Maiorano adds, "When covid restrictions allow that of course!"
On top of the excitement of a storefront, Maiorano looks forward to being able to contribute even more to her menu once settled.
"We are going to be able to expand the pasta offerings, bread and pizzas and snack offerings will all expand too!"
Keep an eye on Pasta Forever by following them on Instagram and if you're in the Dundas and Brock area, get excited for a new fresh pasta shop in the neighbourhood.
