pasta fresca
ABOUT US
Italian cuisine, pasta & sauces made in-house from scratch using locally sourced ingredients.
get to know the owner, shawn!
Q: What led up to you starting your restaurant?
A: In the late 90s, I started cooking in a Michelin star restaurant in England, Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, which was the first time I had been in a professional kitchen. I had the opportunity to be in a cooking competition for an internship there and was chosen as a finalist. Kitchens of that caliber are not open to people without extensive experience, but the owner believed in giving people opportunities. I was in it for the experience and chance to learn. Since then I’ve worked in the industry and had enough knowledge to open my own place. For me cooking is never work and time flies. Everyone must eat, so being involved in that is important. It’s a form of meditation and focus. I believe the quote “The love of food is the sincerest of all” to be true.
Q: What is your favorite part about San Pedro Square?
A: I’ve always liked this street. The reason I ended up here is because I sought out a great place to open a restaurant. I used to come here occasionally and over the years I’ve seen it grow into a very vibrant location. The Market is such a relaxed place to be- I still really enjoy it here.
Q: What is the most fun thing you’ve done in Downtown San Jose?
A: The day of the Women’s Day March 2020, it was extremely busy! We churned out about 60 orders in an hour, which is a lot coming from our small kitchen. I was at a coffee shop with friends and I received a message my staff needed help at the restaurant. I rushed down and helped with the madness. It was exhilarating!
Q: Give us a few fun facts about yourself:
A: Didn't choose my career until my mid 30's. Was having too much fun living in Japan after university. But Japan is where I really got interested in fine dining. While there it was entirely me alone in my apartment teaching myself, but it convinced me this was really what I wanted to do.
Q: How long has Pasta Fresca been at The Market?
A: It’s our 10-year anniversary in 2021!
Q: Describe your restaurant in a few words:
A: Authentic. Italian. We focus on pasta dishes made in Italy.
Q: What is your favorite dish you make?
A: Our Carbonara- I love eggs. It is a Roman dish and within Italy this dish is made in many variations. For instance, my Italian friend’s Grandmother, a northerner, makes it the “wrong” way with cream, which is a common variation. Some people add garlic or peas; I first had it with garlic on the menu. One day a lady, evidently Italian, was eyeing my menu and told me off about how Carbonara doesn’t have garlic. Of course, she didn’t order! So who knows the right or wrong way to make it? I explain to people who appear uncertain "It's sunny-side up bacon and eggs, pasta style", since it has pancetta, raw egg yolks and black pepper. It’s very simple, when you mix it the eggs are cooked by the heat which thickens to create the ideal texture. It needs to be eaten within 10 minutes- that's why I don’t offer to-go for this, unless you order with cream.
Q: What is the inspiration behind most of your recipes?
A: Authenticity. Not a lot of places around here do that to a T, which is fine. I keep the authentic names because my dishes are recreations of food people in Italy would make.
Q: What is an interesting cooking technique you use?
A: Emulsification, which is the tricky part to making my Carbonara, which is simply getting ingredients that don't want to combine to combine by physical force, such as oil and vinegar.