The Italian Homemade Company -- Fresh Made Pastas, Piadini, and Cassoni on Columbus Avenue [San Francisco]

It's almost a Man Bites Dog story when an artisanal pasta shop replaces a long-dead nail salon on Columbus Avenue, but that's what happened when The Italian Homemade Company emerged at 716 Columbus Avenue under my very nose sometime last week.

It's the work of a very engaging FOB (almost) couple, Mattia and Alice, whom I met today when I wandered by to check it out. It was built out, tile by tile by Mattia as a labor of love for Alice, the chef. (They took a break a couple of weeks before opening to get married -- talk about attention to detail!)

The Italian Homemade functions as both a takeaway lunch and dinner shop and a deli. They offer fresh-made pastas (including gnocchi), piadini (flatbread sandwiches) and cassoni (similar, but sealed like calzone) as well as sides, all freshly made. On the deli side, they offer imported Italian cheeses and meats, cookies and kitchen staples, as well as their hand-made pastas.

I had already had lunch when I happened by, but Alice gave me a sample of a piadina, which was enough to make me promise to come back with an empty belly. As for the pasta, until I figure out which one my wife can use to make Shanghai-style chao mian with, I'll leave it up to you pasta mavens to vet them.

Here's a detailed backgrounder from the Barbary Coast News on the enterprise:

http://www.barbarycoastnews.com/2014/...

The Italian Homemade's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/theitalianho...

The Italian Homemade Company
715 Columbus Avenue
Open Tues-Sunday 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM