It was a Saturday night, and the mood to find great pasta was apparent. Since PTMIM hadn’t checked-in with any members in-person lately, we decided that it would be a good opportunity to make the trek out to Verace PASTA e OLIO in St. Clair Shores. Upon entering, we were immediately greeted by fresh pasta smells and yummy-looking desserts. Then a voice could be heard behind the counter. It was a man’s voice with a slight Brooklyn accent. He introduced himself as “Cas”. Cas spoke of his food with such passion that we knew it would be great. We just weren’t prepared for how great it would be.

Cas informed us of the care and quality that he puts in his food to ensure freshness. He explained that he even buys some of his main ingredients from Canada and Europe because those ingredients have a higher standard without the artificial add-ins that are typically found in US ingredients. He then asked us what we were in the mood for. “Meatballs and chicken” was the resounding answer.

After about 7 minutes, out came minestrone soup. A couple of minutes later, out came meatballs in a meat sauce with penne pasta. To satisfy the chicken urge, Cas placed a roasted chicken with sun-dried tomatoes in a tomato basil sauce on the table. Let me tell you, they were so delicious that no salt nor pepper were needed; each were great as-is.

During our dinner, Cas told us very interesting stories of how he started, the different utensils he uses, and his favorite movies. He wasn’t just an owner who retreated to the back room, we could tell that he not only cared about what he served, but also his customers. He even welcomed us to stay later to ensure that we finished our food without being rushed. We ended up finishing well after closing but he still insisted that we have dessert. The desserts were just as delicious as our dinner; the pastries were very rich with a great taste. Even though he had closed while we were having dinner, he still took other customers’ orders as well.

It was such a wonderful experience to meet Cas in-person and to see the passion behind his products. It’s very typical that small business owners place care in their products but to actually see it right in front of us was a very rewarding experience.

If you would like to have us for a visit, please let us know.