If you’ve eaten fresh pasta in the Santa Cruz or Monterey area, there’s a very good chance that it comes from Bigoli pasta in Sand City. They supply restaurants and specialty stores with weekly batches. And it’s memorable for good reason. Chef Michele Cremonese, the guy overseeing the operation, comes from Verona, Italy, and has been making pasta since he was 14 years old. He adheres to Old World authenticity, and imports 00 Semolina refined wheat flour from Italy. He also believes in the value of local, sustainable foods, so purchases organic eggs from Glaum Ranch in Santa Cruz for the pasta. Besides salt, nothing else goes into these noodles.

He believes that the process is what matters most. He explained, “Pasta needs the right texture. You have to know how to work the eggs and flour together.”

Fresh pasta is different from the dried, store-bought variety, which does not have eggs. According to Michele, the eggs give it a richer flavor, better texture, and a faster cooking time.

We are really excited to collaborate with them on ravioli. Kevin Butler, our chef, blended our Carmel Canyon smoked black cod with crème fraiche and chives for one version, and Dungeness crab, ricotta and tarragon for another version. Michele will be filling handmade ravioli with these. We’ve tried them, and they are light and delicate and really nicely balanced between the pasta and seafood, and the creaminess of the cheeses.

Kevin recommends the following sauces for them:

Lemon Butter for the Dungeness Crab, Ricotta, and Tarragon

2 shallots

1 lemon (juice and 1 tsp. zest)

2 cups of white wine

½ cup butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Put shallots in a pan with butter and cook until shallots are soft. Add white wine, turn down heat, and whisk until it’s reduced to 1/3 of it’s original amount. Whisk in the rest of the butter. When melted, take it off the flame and add lemon juice and zest.

Miso-Cream Sauce for Smoked Carmel Canyon Black Cod Ravioli

These ravioli already have a rich flavor and creamy texture, so we suggest you use this lightly as a drizzle.

2 shallots

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups of red cooking wine

1 Tbsp. of light miso

1 cup cream

Soften shallots in olive oil, add red wine, and reduce to half the volume while whisking. Add cream and whisk it to blend.