FRONTLINES Kingsville Restaurateurs Purchase The Pasta House After more than 30 years of serving the fresh pasta needs of Windsorites, The Pasta House is changing hands and moving from Erie Street East. Sam and Pete Badreddine, owners of O’Sarracino Trattoria & Wine Bar — 31 Main Street West in Kingsville — have bought the long-established Little Italy mainstay from Pina and Carm Simone who have run the shop as a husband-and-wife team for over 30 years. “When we first opened, there were some family members involved, but once the business became established after a few years, Carm and I started running it ourselves,” explains Pina. “It’s been a great business, but it’s time to step away and let someone else take it over.” The Badreddine brothers took ownership on February 1, 2021 and are in the middle of a two month training and transition period in preparation for an eventual move in April, to 2950 Dougall Avenue.
New owners and new address means . . . new logo!
“Pete and I decided we wanted to expand the business, so we needed more space and the Dougall location is in a high traffic area with lots of parking,” says Sam in discussing the move. The brothers plan to keep the same Pasta House recipes and mix in a few more from their own restaurant, while keeping the same staff in place and hope to add more when business picks up again (when COVID-19 restrictions relax more). During the pandemic, the Simones shut the store down to concentrate on producing pasta for local restaurants and the large orders coming in from grocery stores (Silverstein’s Produce, Sobeys and Remark Fresh Markets) in the area, before re-opening one day a week, since September, to service retail customers. “Trying to make sure our production area and retail shop were safe for staff and customers became a challenge, so we closed for a few months and concentrated on production rather than retail sales,” says Pina. The Simones have been considering retirement for a few years, but with changes coming to the building at 465 Erie Street East and a granddaughter on the way, the timing seemed right.
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Sam and Pete Badreddine, new owners of The Pasta House, pose with Carm and Pina Simone at the couple’s current location. The brothers are ready to discover the pastabilities with a big move in the works this spring. Photo by Rod Denis.
“We had been using the second floor for storage, but our landlord is planning on using that floor for something else,” Pina states. “We’ve moved three times over the past three decades, always along Erie Street, and we didn’t feel like moving again.” She adds: “We’re really excited about our first grandchild and I think it was the universe telling us now is the right time. The universe doesn’t always give you what you want, but often what you need.” The Badreddines, who are of Lebanese descent, opened O’Sarracino nine years ago and have since watched Kingsville become a destination for Essex County foodies. “We took a chance and it paid off,” comments Sam, who has more than 25 years experience in the hospitality sector. “We looked at the demographics in Kingsville and felt it was a good location for an Italian restaurant and now the town has a number of good places to eat and we’re happy with our decision.” The Badreddines have been dealing with the Simones for more than 20 years, so they are fully aware of The Pasta House’s quality products. Sam points out that O’Sarracino was open for curbside pickup throughout the pandemic lockdown and now can re-open for limited dining. “It’s been tough on all of us,” he says. “We’ve tried to keep as many of our 16 staff working, but it’s been a challenge.” The Badreddines, with Pete taking the lead role, plan to open five days a week at The Pasta House and add to the staff as required at the new location. For more information, search “The Pasta House Windsor” on Facebook and refer to: OSarracino.ca. The Badreddines expect to have a revamped website at: ThePastaHouse.ca up and running by the end of March.
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