Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1182004
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 22 NOVEMBER 2019 PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT MURRY miniature bagels. "They were really labor- intensive," says Giulio, who grew up making pasta with his grandmother in Italy. "We always saw that there was a lot of fresh pasta around, but we never really saw anyone who did artisan dried pasta." So the Caperchis found their niche, imported machines from Italy, and began making pasta. The Caperchis call the Seven Hills shop a "production facility." It isn't a restaurant, and it isn't a retail shop, a detail they make clear to their customers who buy their products at farmers' markets. "It will be a retail place in the future," says Giulio. Seven Hills sells wholesale to retailers like Buckalew's General Store in Melrose, Pairings Wine & Food, and Wright Locke Farm in Winchester. E AT + D R I N K Seven Hills Pasta Co. in Melrose was named after co-founder Giulio Caperchi's hometown of Rome—the city built on seven hills. Caperchi and his wife, Carol, who was originally from Shrewsbury, met in London, married in Falmouth, and in 2015 started their Seven Hills Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts. Their mostly vegetable farm is inspired by or- ganic farming principles and uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. They grow eggplant, zucchini, peppers, squash, and herbs—"but mostly tomatoes," says Giulio. They use the veg- gies and herbs for pasta sauces that they sell alongside their dried pasta at farmers' markets. Now a pastificio, the Seven Hills Pasta Co. in Melrose began as a kitchen for making taralli, Italian wine crackers resembling Fresh tomatoes, ricotta, broomsticks, and love—learn how to make pasta from scratch at Seven Hills Pasta Co. in Melrose. BY NATALIE GALE A TASTE OF ROME But the main attraction of the Melrose space is the pasta-making classes. Introduced in 2017, the pasta classes run about twice a month. The Caperchis currently offer two classes: Pasta 101 and Stuffed Pasta. Seven Hills offers this class to concentrate on the filling of stuffed pasta rather than on making the dough by hand. The class uses fresh spinach and ricotta from the Rutland farm. To learn how to make pasta by hand, check out the Pasta 101 class. Using egg, flour, and water, participants make pasta from scratch and shape it with their hands. "During the class we share anecdotes, history, the difference between northern Italian pasta and southern," says Giulio. The Caperchis weave lessons on grains and wheat cultivation. "It's not techni- cal, it's laid-back. It's geared toward having fun." Walk into a Seven Hills pasta class and you'll immediately be offered an espresso. "It gets people to feel comfortable," explains Carol. She then describes the difference between fresh and dried pasta. "I talk about our machines, our dryer, and why we make dried pasta." Next, Giulio dives into the pasta-making. "I talk about different types of flour and I talk about gluten," says Giulio. First, he shows participants how to make the dough, detailing the techniques and the correct number of eggs. After that, it's up to the students to make their own dough. While the dough rests in the fridge, Giulio demonstrates the different cuts. Participants use rolling pins and pasta-making machines to create angel hair, fettuccine, pappardelle, and linguine. They hang the pasta on a broomstick to dry it, and then they cook it. "It's all fun, it's not meant to be intimidating," says Giulio. "Pasta isn't rocket science. People have been making it since almost the Neolithic period." The class ends with a tasting of the finished pasta product with Seven Hills tomato sauce or pesto, and participants are sent home with a pound of their dried pasta. And what Italian meal would be complete without a little gelato—the Caperchis break out their in-house gelato machine as the finale to the two-hour class. The Caperchis want every customer to have fun. "We want people to make a mess," says Carol. "We expect a mess!" CONTACT 1 Hurd St., Melrose, 508-981-5733, sevenhillspasta.com Seven Hills Pasta offers pasta making classes in Melrose.