Now Under New Owner,

Pasta Fresca Serves It Up Fresh

By Steve Bigham

As a young boy growing up in Italy and later in America, Claudio Mancuso would follow the scent of his mother’s fine cooking as he ran home from school. Her sauces and homemade pasta dishes were always there waiting for him when he arrived. Mother Mancuso’s delights became a family tradition, and there was always enough to go around for each of her five children.

Today, all five of them, including Claudio, are cooks at various restaurants here in Connecticut, inspired by their mother’s artistry in the kitchen.

“She was my inspiration growing up,” Claudio said during an interview with The Bee last week.

In February, Claudio Mancuso brought his fine food to Newtown when he purchased the Pasta Fresca Italian Restaurant and Specialty Shop at 316 South Main Street (Route 25). After closing for a month to remodel, the popular restaurant re-opened for business March 21. As the new owner/chef, Claudio invites Newtown residents to give his Northern/Southern Italian cuisine a try.

“Once they try it, they will tell their friends how excellent the food is,” he said. “We’re known for our pastas, sautés, and sauces, in addition to our fresh herbs and spices.”

Claudio, who lives in Monroe, was once owner of Three Brothers Restaurant in New Fairfield and is involved in the family-owned Brick Oven Pizza Restaurant in Bridgeport. He and his fiancée, Karen Vigorito, are partners in this new venture.

Lunch and dinner patrons of the new-look Pasta Fresca can expect fine Italian cuisine in an intimate setting. Pasta Fresca is not just a pasta shop anymore. “It’s an Italian restaurant that just happens to have fresh pasta,” Claudio explained.

So what can customers expect to find on the new Pasta Fresca menu? In addition to a wide array of pasta dishes and seafood entrees, the selection includes such Italian delights as Gnocci Eccezionale, Fettuccine a la Vodka, Chicken Scarpariello, Veal Sorrentino, and Lobster and Crab Ravioli. Prices range from $9.95 to $16.95.

“We make pasta, ravioli, cavatelli, and manicotti on site,” said Claudio, who was born in Naples before coming to America in 1968.

Pizza is available for lunch only. The personal size Sicilian pizza is Pasta Fresca’s specialty.

Wine is served by the glass or by the bottle. Desserts include chocolate mouse, tiramisu, and a variety of cheesecakes.

 After leaving the Three Brothers Restaurant in 1991, Claudio took a “sabbatical” from the kitchen to focus on his bodybuilding career. And his efforts quickly paid off as he captured five natural overall titles, including the “Mr Connecticut” bodybuilding title in 1993.

These days, there is less time to sculpt his body. His time in now spent in the Pasta Fresca kitchen, where he passes the traditions of his mother on to you the customer.

The specialty pasta shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm.

The dining room and takeout serve is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 am to 9:30 pm; Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 10:30 pm. Pasta Fresca is open on Sundays from 5 to 9 pm.