Pasta Challenge Winners 2021

The Vancouver Foodster Pasta Challenge  was a success featuring creations from restaurants and a food truck around greater Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their Pasta creation from October 7-31, 2021. Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.

The Winners are:

1st Place:

{113 points}

Artusi Restaurant

Gnocchi Nduja & Burrata al Mare

Price: $24

Created by: Chef Delbert Cirfera

Description: Artusi’s delicate handmade Gnocchi is made fresh, and with love – flavoursome and luxurious, they are perfect for dishes full of rich ingredients. Nduja (spicy Italian salami) and Burrata are the most iconic foods of Southern Italy, shared by the provinces of Calabria and Puglia. The spiciness and saltiness of Nduja are perfect to marry with the fresh milk taste of Burrata. Giant white prawns and tender baby scallops add sweet and rich flavour and texture. Every bite is layered with decadent texures and beautiful flavours, with just enough spice to make you mouth water for more!

Available: Wednesday – Sunday for dinner for dine-in.

Also available all the time for takeout or Ubereats delivery

Artusi Restaurant

412 6th Street, New Westminster

Tel: (604) 553-9922

Website: http://www.artusirestaurant.com/

Twitter: @ArtusiNewWest

Instagram @artusirestaurant

2nd Place:

{101 points}

Robba da Matti

Tagliatelle ai funghi e salsiccia

Price: $26

Created by: The team

Description: A creamy mixed mushroom pasta with Italian fennel sausages

Available: Lunch and Dinner (Yaletown) and Dinner only (Westend), also available for takeout.

Robba Da Matti

1127 Mainland Street, Vancouver

Phone: (604) 558-1174

Web: http://www.robbadamatti.com/

Twitter: @Robba_daMatti

Instagram: @robba_damatti

And

Robba Da Matti

1906 Haro Street, Vancouver

Phone: 604-423-3553

Twitter: @Robba_daMatti

Instagram: @robba_damatti

3rd Place:

{98 points}

In Vacanza Pastaficio Food Truck

Spaghetti con crema di broccolo romanesco e guanciale

Price: $22

Created by: Eryn MacKenzie

Description: Tender romanesco pan fried with crispy smoked and cured pork jowl, tossed with chilis in a pecorino, black pepper and cream sauce.

Available: Wednesday – Friday 5-pm – 9pm.; Saturday & Sunday 3pm-9 p.m.

Takeout and delivery details: Takeaway or dine in at one of our neighbouring distilleries. Available for delivery on Doordash.

In Vacanza Pastaficio Food Truck

1450 Rupert St, (back), North Vancouver

Telelphone:  (236) 330-9696

Web: https://www.invacanza.ca/

Instagram @invacanzapasta

In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Pastacreations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.

The Winners are:

1st Place People’s Choice:

In Vacanza Pastaficio Food Truck

Spaghetti con crema di broccolo romanesco e guanciale

Price: $22

Created by: Eryn MacKenzie

Description: Tender romanesco pan fried with crispy smoked and cured pork jowl, tossed with chilis in a pecorino, black pepper and cream sauce.

Available: Wednesday – Friday 5-pm – 9pm.; Saturday & Sunday 3pm-9 p.m.

Takeout and delivery details: Takeaway or dine in at one of our neighbouring distilleries. Available for delivery on Doordash.

In Vacanza Pastaficio Food Truck

1450 Rupert St, (back), North Vancouver

Telelphone:  (236) 330-9696

Web: https://www.invacanza.ca/

Instagram @invacanzapasta

2nd Place People’s Choice (tie):

Artusi Restaurant

Gnocchi Nduja & Burrata al Mare

Price: $24

Created by: Chef Delbert Cirfera

Description: Artusi’s delicate handmade Gnocchi is made fresh, and with love – flavoursome and luxurious, they are perfect for dishes full of rich ingredients. Nduja (spicy Italian salami) and Burrata are the most iconic foods of Southern Italy, shared by the provinces of Calabria and Puglia. The spiciness and saltiness of Nduja are perfect to marry with the fresh milk taste of Burrata. Giant white prawns and tender baby scallops add sweet and rich flavour and texture. Every bite is layered with decadent texures and beautiful flavours, with just enough spice to make you mouth water for more!

Available: Wednesday – Sunday for dinner for dine-in.

Also available all the time for takeout or Ubereats delivery

Artusi Restaurant

412 6th Street, New Westminster

Tel: (604) 553-9922

Website: http://www.artusirestaurant.com/

Twitter: @ArtusiNewWest

Instagram @artusirestaurant

2nd Place People’s Choice (tie):

Robba da Matti

Tagliatelle ai funghi e salsiccia

Price: $26

Created by: The team

Description: A creamy mixed mushroom pasta with Italian fennel sausages

Available: Lunch and Dinner (Yaletown) and Dinner only (Westend), also available for takeout.

Robba Da Matti

1127 Mainland Street, Vancouver

Phone: (604) 558-1174

Web: http://www.robbadamatti.com/

Twitter: @Robba_daMatti

Instagram: @robba_damatti

And

Robba Da Matti

1906 Haro Street, Vancouver

Phone: 604-423-3553

Twitter: @Robba_daMatti

Instagram: @robba_damatti

Our Media judges for this challenge were:  AJ Yao, Rose Lin and Shelley Hayashi

Each media judge will have scored the creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points). The total number of points a pasta creation could earn is 120 points.

Thank you to the chefs and restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured their pasta  on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.

I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their pasta creations! See the entries here.

By: Richard Wolak

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