Shelly La Fata is a rare blend of entrepreneur, community-builder, and artisan. Shelly graduated from the University of Missouri in 2009, with a degree in International Peace Studies and also played rugby at Mizzou. Those two points seem contradictory but then again, Shelly doesn’t seem to follow the normal way of doing things. She then spent a couple of years working in Columbia restaurants before attending culinary school in Austin, Texas, in 2012. After culinary school, she served as a private chef and in 2015, went on to work as the kitchen tour manager for Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co., traveling the country, setting up outdoor kitchens at music festivals, and serving scratch-made food.
Shelly started doing pop-ups in 2016 at bars and festivals. She now concedes, “I got tired of serving drunks.” She moved on to the Columbia Farmers Market in 2018, where she easily sold her handmade pasta. That experience was the “aha” that pasta could be her signature item.
Then COVID hit and Shelly was back at the drawing board. She began selling packaged meals, realizing there was an abundance of leftover pasta scraps from ravioli. Combining those scraps and packaged with sauce and cheese, the “Scrappy Meal” was born and was given to anyone who needed a meal. It’s also a testament to the type of person that Shelly is.
With the guidance of business coach Sarah Cyr and mentor Bryan Maness, Shelly turned her dream of opening her own place into reality. Pasta La Fata opened at 1207 Rogers Street in 2022.
Shelly said the shop has evolved a lot in three years. She meets regularly with her employees, evaluating what is working and what is not working. Adjustments are made and evaluated by the entire team. The employees feel that they have a stake in the success of business, and it shows by their attitude, hospitality, and work ethic.
Shelly is definitely a people person, and it shows in her rapport with her twenty-plus employees and her interaction with guests. She is also a hands-on owner, as I witnessed her lugging fifty-pound bags of flour around. She and her husband, Michael, share the vision of “always offer the best.”
Pasta La Fata is part deli, part bistro, part pastry shop, part market, and all heart. The vibe is something you don’t feel at a lot of restaurants outside of Columbia. Shelly said the other restaurateurs in Columbia have been extremely supportive, referring to them as her “colleagues” who share information, products, best practices, and more.
Shelly has always prioritized local sourcing, sustainability, and community connection, building strong connections with the local farmers who she supports. She said it takes her more time to place orders with several local suppliers, but the actual costs are not more expensive than large suppliers, and the product is better. Her farmers alert her weekly about what they have ready, and she then determines her rotating menu from what she can get fresh and local. As one reviewer stated, “Pasta La Fata is HYPER local. The owner is a sincere figure in our local food scene.”
Shelly has branched out by doing the Italian dinner series, cooking classes, chef’s table, and catering. What’s next? She would like to eventually sell her lasagna online. Her goal is to be the “Omaha Steaks” of lasagna. She sent me home with her frozen lasagna from the freezer case, and I had it that evening for dinner. It is, without a doubt, the best lasagna I have ever had. The pasta noodles are so light, and the ingredients tasted so fresh. I can see why she has a vision. My guess is we will be seeing Pasta La Fata Frozen Lasagna shipped directly to your home sooner rather than later.
Side note: Shelly’s father Mike and I were best friends in grade school in St. Louis. I am sure he is extremely proud of his daughter.
Ciao for now.
