Pasta Shop Ristorante Celebrates LGBTQ Pride by Donating $1 from Every Rainbow Pasta
After a fantastic response for their new ‘rainbow pasta’ in its debut weekend, Pasta Shop Ristorante & Art Gallery has decided to dedicate the dish to Las Vegas Pride, pledging $1 from every dish sold through the end of October to The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada.
“We have family, employees, and friends connected to the LGBTQ community, so as soon as we realized the connection with this dish, we wanted to do something,” said Owner/Co-creator Ann Alenik.
The Rainbow Pasta is a combination of four fresh house-made pastas using turmeric, tomato, beet, and spinach to add color and light flavor. They are served in a sauce of olive oil, capers, and lemon with roasted cherry tomatoes ($18.95). The dish is vegan unless guests choose to add tiger shrimp or scallops at an additional charge.
Available for dinner nightly, the Rainbow Pasta noodles can also be purchased to take home and create your own unique dish.
About Pasta Shop Ristorante & The Alenik Family
When David & Ann Alenik relocated from Florida to Las Vegas in 1980, they had no idea they would be building a legacy. But after some unforgettable experiences cooking at the famed Villa D’Este for many notable Las Vegans, not to mention Frank Sinatra, and then as chef to Steve Wynn at the Golden Nugget, serving guests such as Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, Sylvester Stallone, Muhammad Ali and Evel Knievel, David decided to make the leap to independence. He and Ann opened the Pasta Shop Ristorante in 1989, making fresh pasta for several of the Strip’s best restaurants–quite a rarity then. Over the years, David & Ann turned the Pasta Shop into a Las Vegas institution, adding Ann’s artistic flair to the decor, and raising a family, including sons Trent and Clayton and daughter Bianca, in the restaurant while receiving accolades such as Restaurateur of the Year from the Nevada Restaurant Association and praise from Zagat and USA Today among others. They relocated to Henderson in 2009.
After David’s sudden passing in 2016, Ann and the family, along with then-Chef de Cuisine Eddie Martinez and General Manager Gianna Kent, made the decision to carry on his vision with Pasta Shop, and with the support of their faithful patrons, the restaurant has carried on and even grown in appreciation, celebrating its 30th year in 2019.
In David’s memory, The City of Henderson officially declared September 15, 2019, “Pasta Shop Ristorante & Art Gallery Day.”
For more information visit their website, Facebook, and/orInstagram