The Political Issue: Closer Look
Pasta La Fata
What began as a pop-up business in 2015 and evolved into a Columbia Farmers Market vendor in 2018 finally has its own storefront. Pasta La Fata, a local vendor known for handmade pastas, sauces, and Italian desserts opened its store in June. The owner is Shelly La Fata, a 35-year-old passionate Italian-American chef. She says she wanted to open this business to work with local farmers, honor her Italian heritage, and connect with the community. Additionally, Pasta La Fata prides itself on its ingredients. The meals use locally sourced meat, organic eggs for the pasta, and local tomatoes – Shelly’s team planted 320 tomato plants this year to use for sauce. In the future, Shelly hopes to host cooking classes and private dinners, as well as provide other special offers and menu items that bring “a connection to handmade Italian food and local ingredients” to the COMO community.
1207 Rogers St.
573-554-5456
pastalafata.net
HOTWORX
HOTWORX is a new 24-hour infrared fitness studio that features 3-D training and virtual instructors. The facility includes four saunas for HIIT sessions and another five isometric saunas for activities like yoga, Pilates, and core exercises. Owners Jason Sims and Melissa Orrell say HOTWORX is meant to be welcoming and not intimidating, and that there are many health benefits from the 13 different workout sessions at HOTWORX, including stress reduction, pain relief, increased calorie burn, and detoxification. Jason relocated his career to COMO and Melissa came up from Arkansas so the couple could be together. Melissa is an RN and previous member of HOTWORX in Arkansas, giving her an inside understanding of the benefits of HOTWORX’s services. In the future, they hope to educate the community on the gym’s benefits and expand HOTWORX in the Midwest region.
2703 E Broadway, Suite 127
573-777-WORX(9679)
hotworx.net/studio/columbia-thebroadwayshops
Elwood Cabinetry
Elwood Cabinetry, founded by Zach Baier and Genaro Cabrera in March, began taking on jobs in mid-May. The business specializes in trim carpentry and cabinetry, and its work involves installing base trim, crown molding, and custom built-ins, among a variety of other available services. As a relatively new business, Zach and Genaro feel that Elwood Cabinetry is not well-known yet, but they look forward to using their passion for finish work to eventually match the other talent in the industry. Both born and raised in COMO, Zach and Genaro are proud of their hometown, and they want to continue connecting with the community while producing high-end finish work for its residents. In the future, Elwood Cabinetry hopes to grow its team of trim carpenters to become the go-to option for high-end custom work in COMO.
573-928-2505
elwoodtrimandcabinetry.com
[email protected]