Owner & Chef, Pasta La Fata
If you talk to Shelly La Fata, you may think she’s more entrepreneur than chef. But you can’t run a successful restaurant just by cooking good food. More restaurants fail than succeed. The fact that Shelly’s Pasta La Fata is one of those exceptions isn’t accidental.
Her journey has led her from a stall in the Columbia Farmers Market in 2018 and doing pop-ups at a variety of local events to opening her restaurant in 2022. Accolades for her as a chef and for Pasta La Fata began with that stall and continue to roll in.
“In 2018, I decided to try and discover what it means to achieve my full potential,” Shelly says. “I started taking ambitious risks and I dedicated myself to the development of a brand. Learning to ask people around me for help was pivotal, and I formed many connections in this community.”
One of those connections was to local family farms and producers. Shelly sources them for her dishes, even though they reduce her profit margin. But she knows she’s making delicious food while supporting local producers and the Columbia economy. She connects with customers and her family’s Sicilian roots. And she connects with people in need while reducing food waste.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started ‘Scrappy Meals,’ which is a program to provide a frozen dinner from fresh pasta scraps to those that were out of work or going through a rough time,” says Mark Claypole of Central Bank of Boone County. “Her passion for pasta goes beyond the restaurant with catering, pasta-making workshops, and an Italian Dinner Series that highlights different culinary delights and history from regions across Italy.”
Shelly admits she never could have realized her dream without help. Family, coaches, mentors, and her top-shelf restaurant manager and team have emboldened her to reach for the stars.
“When I first started consulting with her, she had a popular small farmer’s market stand and one employee,” says Sarah Cyr, Shelly’s business coach. “After listening to her big goals and ambitions, and watching her dedication and follow-through, I knew she was scalable and capable of creating the big vision she had for Pasta La Fata.”
“Just when you think she’s hit her peak, she commits to even bigger goals and passions for Pasta La Fata,” Sarah says. “I can’t wait to watch what she does next.”
