Meet the Local Vendor Supplying Pasta to Hundreds of Boston-Area Restaurants | Eater Boston

"I visit a fourth-generation family-owned pasta factory in Somerville that opens at 4:30 a.m. and has been producing fresh and dried pasta since 1947; the inconspicuous warehouse belies delicately stuffed ravioli that transport customers to Cusano Mutri in Italy’s Campania region. They now make more than 100 pastas — from slow-dried chocolate mafaldi to lobster-stuffed ravioli — plus seven sauces, including a pesto popular with local restaurants. The operation emphasizes ingredients and technique: semolina flour is custom-made by a Midwest miller, ricotta is crafted to a specific ratio of butter fat and moisture, and mostly Italian-made machinery is sometimes modified in-house to simulate handmade motions. On the floor, employees guide fettuccine through machines, inspect puffed rows of agnolotti, and cut rigatoni; fresh egg fusilli, lobster ravioli, short rib ravioli, and fig and mascarpone ravioli are among the best sellers. Their dried pastas air dry for 48 hours rather than being oven-dried, and workers hand-pack products — sometimes totaling 500 boxes a day. The business runs like a tight-knit family: Dean Matarazzo greets all 40 employees by name and manages the factory with his wife Hala and son Dean Jr.; orders are still taken by phone only, reflecting a personal touch as they supply more than 600 regional restaurants (including over 40 in the North End) and grow clients by word of mouth." - Celina Colby