Even a bad day is good when pasta is involved – and while there are many variations we have come to know and love – Restaurant Olivia has gone so far as to create its special corner of the restaurant for pasta chef Emily Boyd to roll out the freshness daily. Here is a glimpse into her day and why fresh pasta is so important to the team.
Pasta chef Emily Boyd – soon to be Mrs. Longaker after her upcoming wedding, and who playfully refers to herself as a “pasta gremlin,” realized a love for pasta early on. She recounts, “Something I’ve loved since I was 6 years old.” From then it became a future goal for Emily. She attended former Johnson & Wales University in Denver for Culinary Arts – a mission she describes as, “mostly motivated by my hunger.” After that she found a home in the hotel industry for awhile, “hopped around to a few different jobs, ended up at Bonanno Concepts – Bistro Georgette at Avanti – and when they closed I came to Olivia. When we started growing, I went from sous chef to ‘THE’ pasta person.” But still the question remains – after experiences culinary school and potentially endless opportunity, WHY pasta? “I’ve always been drawn to it – the possibilities are endless. It’s kind of like playing with play-doh as an adult. Everyone loves pasta. Tagliatelle is one of my favorites to make – it starts as one giant noodle and I cut from there so it is kind of a fun process”. Favorite to eat? “I love a good gnocchi – butternut squash, with that brown butter – yum.”
Landing in a steadily busy location such as Restaurant Olivia under Executive Chef Ty Leon – who playfully nicknamed Emily the Pasta Ninja – sometimes means arriving to the restaurant as early as 4 a.m. on Tuesday to recover the inventory from the crazy weekend – starting with separating the egg yolks and preparing the dough – beginning with any already prepared balls. “It is always the best to be made the day before using. I see what needs to be made, then the rolling process starts. About 100 pounds of pasta a week.” No dough is left behind – all of the scraps are saved after cutting and they will get rolled back in or used for other pasta like lasagna sheets. But after all that rolling you’d think no way is someone making fresh pasta at home – but Emily declares, “people can be really intimidated by fresh pasta – I once was too – but once you learn it, you see it’s an easy process that you get to see what is actually going into it. I can’t even buy dried pasta anymore – maybe orzo – but anything else I have a hard time buying when I can just make it at home. There is always a dough ball in my fridge at home.” As for at home tips – use a wooden surface – as they do in the restaurant – make your dough a day in advance if you can, and remember that “humidity makes dough sticky – add less eggs.” Emily points out that her “visual and feel ensures consistency – knowing how many times each variety needs to be pressed, etc.”
Michelin recognized Olivia is known for its tasting menu with a la carte options, a heavy approach to sustainability, and sourcing local whenever possible – redeveloping recipes as they learn along the way. In fact, Chef Ty teases they are working on an egg white dough – to minimize waste even more from separating the yolks. Chef Ty explains further on the local sourcing, “the White Sonora flour is from Dry Storage, spelt and rye flour from the San Luis Valley and Longmont. The Land Institute Kernza flour is from Salina Kansas. We also use sweet corn from Colorado – and it is so delicious.”
Restaurant Olivia is big on educating its staff ensuring that growth is endless – including a yearly trip to Italy – which Emily gushes “was such an amazing trip. I learned so much, it was incredible. Being at Restaurant Olivia is such a great learning experience – I never get tired of doing it because I am always growing with the season.”
Emily will be moving on as the pasta chef for RiNo’s upcoming Emilia, set to open in 2025.
Olivia also offers pasta-making classes – typically one class a month – where guests can learn all of the tips and tricks needed for at-home pasta. These classes can be private or as a group – more info can be found on its website – with October booking now. Making a visit in person soon? Expect a change with the upcoming fall season with braised meats, pumpkin and butternut squash – and a possible herbed pappardelle.
Restaurant Olivia is located at 290 South Downing Street, Denver. Its hours are Tuesday – Saturday 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.