Nearly a year has passed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. For many people who are struggling, time has cost them everything. However, a restaurant owner is staying positive amid the tough times.
“Locals enjoy this place, I’m very happy that they’re starting to understand our concept,” said owner of Pastificio Propaganda, Fabrizio Gallina.
Pastificio Propaganda is a restaurant focused on bringing Sicilian cuisine to Miami. Fabrizio grew up learning the backends and importance of his father’s pasta shop in Sicily. After many years, he decided to combine them with his professional experience and open his own concept.
“I remember the things he told me about this little place run by the family and then I said for me it’s a new start and so let’s start from the very start. From Sicily and a Pastificio," said Fabrizio.
Pastificio Propaganda had a promising start in March, until the pandemic hit. It wasn’t until November, they felt comfortable opening their doors for dine-in and takeout. For customers dining in, tables are six feet apart and every employee is required to wear a mask.
The restaurant makes you feel like you’re in Italy, offering an expansive selection of wines from small Italian vineyards and serving authentic Italian dishes.
“It is not a menu [with] 25 different dishes. It’s small but it’s focused on the taste, flavor, authenticity, it’s homemade,” said sous chef Matteo Cucchiella.
Matteo also moved here from Italy to work on this new venture. He emphasizes the importance of the ingredients they use to make their dishes.
“Not too many things [on the menu], but the things we do you can really say like it’s in Italy,” said Matteo.
For takeout, Fabrizio says the team creates postcards with Sicilian images to make his customers feel like they’re in his country.
“It’s like a souvenir that we give out for take-out orders. I always say there are travel restrictions, make a small trip to Italy with this souvenir. So they see images from [small towns in Italy]. They’re happy, it’s something different ,” said Fabrizio.
Pastificio Propaganda is located at 97 NW 25th street You can find more information, click here.
