Ask people in the High Country about the Pasta Wench and you might get an ear-to-ear grin and a description of their favorite ravioli flavor. The name might catch you off guard at first, but rest assured she is determined to bring fresh, local ingredients to your table with her organic pastas, ravioli and decadent sauces.

Andrea Morrell is a 40-something mother of two and a self-proclaimed disaster in the kitchen. She has been involved with local food for years, but her move to Boone last February prompted her to delve even deeper. Buying a farm in Triplett, just outside of Boone, she and her husband intended to raise organic vegetables for the local farmer’s market. Realizing she wanted to be involved with local food, but not having any vegetables to sell in early spring, she shifted her focus to something a little closer to home – pasta making.

The transition was an easy one, as her family roots are only one generation away from Palermo, Sicily, where the pasta is magnificent. “ I grew up eating one form of homemade pasta or another every Sunday afternoon at my grandmother’s house. She would never dream of cooking store-bought pasta for Sunday dinner,” Andrea says.

Her woman-owned and operated business provides fresh pasta to several local restaurants including Storie Street Grille (Blowing Rock), Vidalia’s (Boone), and The Bistro (Boone). As her business has grown, more restaurants from across North Carolina have been calling for her to create signature ravioli for their menus. Storie Street Grille features an Apple Brie ravioli that is truly delicious.

Pasta Wench Pasta is made with as many local ingredients as are available. Andrea buys locally farmed organic ingredients and is currently lining up her growers for next spring. “I believe that we vote with our dollars when it comes to food and I encourage people all the time to buy locally grown foods,” she says. Roughly 70 percent of the farms that she buys from are woman-owned.

Eggs are a major ingredient in her pasta dough and she raises 60 wild-forage chickens on her farm to fill this need. She supplements her own hens’ production with eggs from local egg producers. The crown jewel of her Triplett home, along Elk Creek, is her organic herb garden where she harvests many of the herbs for her ravioli. To maintain a fresh supply this winter, she has converted half of her garage into a passive solar greenhouse and is looking forward to fresh greens all winter.

Pasta Wench creations can be found weekly at the Watauga County Farmer’s Market and The Blowing Rock Fresh Market, along with a great selection at Bare Essentials in Boone, and Maw’s Produce in Foscoe. Whether it is Portobello Asiago, Fire Roasted Spinach Garlic, Butternut Squash and Caramelized Pear or Lump Crab and Shrimp, Andrea is sure that you will find a favorite.

Be sure to visit Andrea at www.pastawench.com where you can order pasta for an upcoming event, dinner party, or as a gift (she ships nationally!) and where you can learn more about this winter’s cooking classes. Classes will be held in her home-based commercial kitchen, the only private commercial kitchen in Watauga County. The Pasta Wench commercial kitchen is also available for rent to other local food producers and processors.

Call The Pasta Wench today for more information at (828) 262-1040.




Cook your Pasta Wench Cavatelli about 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain well.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet. Drain fat.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper. Add the cooked Pasta Wench Cavatelli, and the sausage and onion mixture. Toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole.

Bake, covered, in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through.

Makes about 4-6 servings