kiss CHEF’S

Words By Nikki Sorbello

What is it that makes fresh pasta taste so good? Is it the pasta itself – just a combination of water, flour, and egg yolk? Or is it the sauce, the wine or the company that goes along with it?

Made famous the world over by Italians, there is something special in the simplicity of fresh pasta, taking on the ‘no muss, no fuss’ attributes of Italian nonnas.

You might expect the woman who has made and sold her handmade pasta in Bundaberg for the past 30 years to be animated or sentimental about her pasta, but Emilia Troioni is simply straightforward – she makes it because people want to eat it.

“It’s not because I make money, it’s because it gives me something to do. I’ve got to get up and get dressed, because somebody is coming; I need to make the pasta,” Emilia said.

Creating a decades-long business out of homemade pasta was never her intention. On a weekend away to visit her daughter at the Sunshine Coast, she and her daughter made some pasta to sell at the markets. It was such a hit, Emilia continued making it when she returned home to Bundaberg.

And while everyone who has purchased a packet raves about Emilia’s Pasta, its creator says there is no secret to the business’s longevity or success.

“It’s nothing special. It’s just flour, eggs, a drop of water and some salt. That’s it,” she said. “Cook three minutes. No more.”

Undoubtably Emilia is being modest about her success and the allure of her pasta. After all, she still eats pasta every week, normally on Sunday nights for family dinner.

Her favourite way to eat it? Simple is best – with a Napoli sauce on top.