Our Story

The story of Pasta Amore is an unusual one, beginning with a love story. Today, the Alessandro family, who all contribute in a joint effort to manage the restaurant and create a great experience for customers, have created an atmosphere that feels like home for both family and friends. The Alessandro family all love the sophisticated and flavorful cuisines of Italy, especially pasta, in its many varieties. However, the driving force and motivation for running the restaurant is their love for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm with their valued customers.

Let's go back to the beginning of the story. The idea for Pasta Amore manifested in 1999, when Angelina Andrews, a recent college graduate from the University of Rhode Island, decided to take a trip to Sicily, Italy. She arrived with the goal to retrace the steps of her ancestors who had emigrated from there eighty years ago, to New York, arriving in Ellis Island, in the year 1919. She spent a month exploring the beautiful Sicilian countryside, and, needing to earn money to support her future travels, she took a job as a cook's assistant in a wonderful old-style restaurant in a small seaside village. It was there that she fell in love with the Italian people, the language, the music, and the fine scents, tastes, and flavors of authentic Sicilian cuisine.

And while it may seem rare or unlikely, love at first sight is possible... Angelina knows this better than anyone! Within the first week of her arrival in Sicily, she met a young man, Carlos Alessandro, who had just finished culinary school in Florence, and was spending the summer with his grandparents in Sicily. It wasn't long before the two realized that there was something special between them that was much more than just the beginning of a summer romance.

By Christmas, they were married, and decided to return to the Unites States the following spring, taking with them the inheritance Carlos received when his beloved grandmother passed away. Inspired by her encouragement in the pursuit of dreams and the exquisite Italian meals she made for family and friends with the goal of bringing everyone together, Angelina and Carlos purchased a small Italian restaurant in a quaint seaside town, Mystic, on the coast of Connecticut, which reminded them of the beautiful Sicilian seaside environment where they had met.

They spent months completely redoing the interior of the restaurant, creating an atmosphere that reflected the warmth and beauty of Italy, knowing it would help their customers feel right at home, too. Then they interviewed and hired the best chefs they could find. To connect the past with the present day, with assistance from the chefs, they were able to create traditional menus with a modern flair and flavor that would appeal to customers from all walks of life.

Angelina and Carlos Alessandro, now along with their twin teenage sons, Marco and Mario, are about to celebrate seventeen successful years of Pasta Amore, and as always, they are dedicated to creating a wonderful customer experience for all. They have recently added several new innovative features and events. Several suggestions from valued customers have been considered and implemented. At Pasta Amore, the most important goal is to create a lively and dynamic community where the voices of customers are always valued and heard. To find out about upcoming events, click here. To share suggestions and comments, click here.

Mission Statement

To provide a warm atmosphere for your family where we can share the traditional cuisines of Italy. Our food will always be fun, fresh and filled with love.

Vision

Pasta Amore combines the cooking traditions and ingredients of Italy with creativity, providing a modern twist on timeless classics. Our vision for the future is to grow and learn along with our customers. In doing so, we aim to provide an atmosphere that enables this growth and fuels the passion that lives within the essence of the brand. The approach of Pasta Amore is to develop our brand with the understanding of both our culture and consumer insights. Within our vision always lives the promise of inspiring creativity, conversation and quality.