Photo by Kelli Ainsworth

Photo by Kelli Ainsworth

Photo courtesy DellaCasa Pasta

Photo courtesy DellaCasa Pasta

Two years ago, DellaCasa Pasta moved from a rental kitchen where owner Luisa Obando made her fresh, natural pastas and sauces using KitchenAide appliances to its location off Hicks Road in Tomball.

Because her pastas had become so popular at local farmers markets that they would sell out within an hour, Obando needed a space where she could use industrial machines to make DellaCasa products more efficiently. The pastas made in the factory are sold at the factory, online, in farmers markets, to Houston area restaurants and in select stores.

The factory was not initially meant to be a place customers could come shop, but come they did.

"Customers started finding us online and saw the products at the stores and started looking for us, and they noticed we were here so they started knocking at our door," Obando said.

DellaCasa specializes in fresh pastas made from scratch, using natural ingredients with no added chemicals and preservatives. The products include varieties of fettuccine, linguine, orzo, ravioli and sauces. Customers can also purchase ready-to-bake lasagna. DellaCasa's pastas combine traditional Italian and Texas flavors. While there are staples such as cheese ravioli, there are also unique offerings, such as jalapeno fettuccine.

Whenever possible, the natural ingredients used for DellaCasa's products are locally grown and produced.

"Right now, there's a big movement of local," Obando said. "So you want local products, you want a pasta that is made here versus a pasta that's made in Italy and has to travel all these miles to get here, spending gas and causing contamination."

The company was born out of Obando's need as a busy mother to find healthy meals she could cook for her two children quickly and ones they would enjoy. However, she soon realized many of the foods she saw for sale in grocery stores did not meet all of these requirements.

"When you go to the supermarket you find all these products full of ingredients that are artificial, that we know now are not good for you," Obando said. "So I didn't want to feed my kids these things."

She decided to turn her hobby of making pastas into a more full-time pursuit. Her family and friends loved the pastas she served them, so Obando started selling them at farmers markets. It turned out other families were also searching for healthy meals that were easy to prepare. Obando said several of her customers are busy moms and retired people who want to spend less time in the kitchen. Customers often buy enough pasta to stock up for the week.

At this time, DellaCasa's pastas are available for sale in the factory, several area farmers markets, Phoenicia foods in Houston and online at greenlings.com. However, Obando's plans for the future include opening a point-of-sale and restaurant. She envisions a location where customers can come in, order pasta and eat it there, but still purchase items to take home and cook with their families.

"I'm a mother," Obando said. "I like the idea that I'm making something that people can make and eat at home. Here, there's cooking time involved and there's some time sitting at the table with the family together."

Where to buy:

Online at www.greenling.com

Grogan's Mill Village Farmers Market

7 Switchbud Place, Spring

Saturdays 8 a.m.–noon

Tomball Farmers Market

Corner of Main Street and Cherry Street

Second and fourth Saturdays of the month

9 a.m.–1 p.m.

The Farmers Market at Bridgeland

16902 Bridgeland Landing, Cypress

Second Sunday of the month 12:30–3:30 p.m.

Gleannloch Farms Farmers Market

19393 Champion Forest Drive, Spring

Fourth Sunday of the month 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Phoenicia Specialty Foods

12141 Westheimer Road, Houston

DellaCasa Pasta, 1599 Hicks St., Tomball 281-513-6866, www.dellacasapasta.com