An exciting new Italian-American restaurant is coming soon to Ormond Beach.
Cavatelli Pasta Kitchen, located within The Nova Shoppes on Ormond’s South Nova Road, plans to open its doors in just a few short weeks on Feb. 1. The restaurant, which has been in the works for more than nine months, will offer a variety of homemade pasta dishes, sandwiches and more.
Owner and pasta maker Phil Martin and manager Schuyler O’Brien tell me the restaurant will not have a single deep-fryer or microwave; they insist on providing only the highest quality cuisine, noting their customers will taste the difference.
Who is behind Cavatelli Pasta Kitchen?
Martin, who has more than 40 years’ experience in the food industry, envisions Cavatelli Pasta Kitchen as a best-both-worlds experience — a place where customers can enjoy fine-dining quality cuisine with the convenience of a fast-casual restaurant.
“I’m convinced that in the post-COVID economy that we live in now, there’s going to be a continual revolution in dining out. And I believe that the small independent restaurants of the future will be ones that can serve exceptional quality food, but also in a more practical and possibly more limited-service environment,” Martin said.
“So, our goal at Cavatelli is to bridge the gap between fast-casual restaurants and limited-service footprints, but with high-quality food. I like to say that my goal is the be the Chipotle of pasta.”
According to the duo, the restaurant plans to implement a more conservative menu, focusing on quality over quantity, and seeks to embrace evolving dining needs within the community.
Cavatelli will convenience customers of varying service preferences, Martin tells me, offering quick, online ordering and takeout for those looking to enjoy a made-for-you meal at home, as well as “Panera-style” casual counter service and sit-down dining. The eatery will also offer catering services.
“That’s one of the big things were trying to do with that fast-casual — make it convenience. But by giving people that convenience, you’re not taking away the quality,” O’Brien said. “And if (customers) want to come in and sit down, we’re going to give them our 100%, we’re going to take care of them through and through.”
What’s on the menu at Cavatelli Pasta Kitchen?
According to the duo, Cavatelli Pasta Kitchen prides itself on its vibrant flavors and homemade cuisine, including its sauces, pastas and meatballs that will “change the game” for local pasta lovers.
The restaurant’s menu offers a variety of sandwiches, salads and pasta plates, ranging from the house made Cavatelli tuna pasta salad, the grilled chicken pesto panini — chicken breast, fresh tomato, provolone and house-made pesto — and the shrimp scampi, to the chicken or eggplant parmesan — spaghetti and fresh breaded cutlets layered with melted cheese and homemade marinara — and the house made lasagna — a ground beef Bolognese and cheese lasagna, made fresh daily and available while it lasts. The eatery plans to serve beer and wine, as well.
The restaurant also offers a customizable pasta menu, where customers can pick a pasta of their choice — like rigatoni, cavatelli or gluten-free — as well as their preferred sauce and add-ons. Sauce options include vodka sauce, beef Bolognese and alfredo, while add-ons include Italian sausage, meatballs, mozzarella balls and more.
According to Martin, the restaurant’s freshly made dishes will “ruin making pasta dry at home” for customers who will taste the subtle firmness, “slight chew” and authenticity of the pasta, made using 100% imported Italian semolina flour. The eatery will utilize specialty pasta extruder equipment in order to produce fresh pasta daily.
“We also have a specialized pasta cooker in the kitchen that is temperature-regulated and allows us to cook each pasta shape for its designated time,” Martin said.
“We can literally make a science out of it to make sure that the pasta is extruded to the right texture and cooked specifically to the time to give that al dente taste that we’re looking for and absorb the sauce we pair it with.”
The restaurant has partnered with various local businesses for a plethora of their menu offerings, including freshly baked focaccia bread from Village Bread and Bagel in Jacksonville, desserts from Empress Sissi in Sanford, gelato from G.S. Gelato in Fort Walton Beach, and beer on tap from the Ormond Brewing Company.
Customers will also be able to purchase the eatery’s packaged pasta and homemade sauces in the future.
“Our goal is to do 10 things exceptionally well instead of 40 things mediocre that most people get when they go out to eat these days,” Martin said. “It’s just nice to indulge in something prepared fresh like this … homemade pasta is a game-changer.”
Cavatelli Pasta Kitchen is located at 175 S. Nova Road, Suite 1, in Ormond Beach and will be open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Saturday.
Helena Perray is the restaurant and dining writer for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A New Jersey native and passionate storyteller, she can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Support local journalism by subscribing