Toulouse: Katia opens a lodge specializing in fresh pasta at MIN Occitanie in tribute to her mother
This Monday, the Grand Marché d’Occitanie (MIN) welcomes a new lodge specializing in fresh pasta, the Nonna Lina. An Italian family story.
It is a story of family and cooking dear to the hearts of Italians that could have seduced a director. Katia Garrouste, who with her niece Mathilde and her son Théo, created in 2020, the Italian grocery store La Nonna Lina in Victor-Hugo specializing in fresh pasta, opened this Monday a fresh pasta box at MIN Occitanie. A place in homage to Katia’s mother, Lina. “When we were able to open this shop after the covid, we will mainly have to work with market customers, assures Katia. But success has caught up with us and many restaurants are asking us for fresh pasta (gnocchi, ravioli, etc.). The room has therefore become too small, hence the creation of this box reserved for professionals”.
“Cooking is in the genes of the family”
Katia, 50, started as a wine merchant in Fronton but has always been supplied by gastronomy. “I like the cuisine created with local products, continues Katia. At Nonna Lina, we also work with the Moulin Maury in Revel for flour and a young producer from the Tarn for eggs”. At one point, she wanted to give her professional life another path: “I was looking for. So I sold the domain. Mathilde was finishing her law studies and she also wanted to turn to cooking. This passion is in the genes of the family!” Victor-Hugo’s shop worked from the start, seducing customers with ever-new recipes such as ravioli with sardines, tajine or peas, mint and mozzarella. “We respect the seasons. Currently, we work a lot with asparagus, beans, peas. The lodge at MIN will have the same mindset.”
In the past, fresh pasta was made manually with the hand-cranked rolling mill. “Today, the machine has quite simply replaced the kneader for artisanal production”, remarks Katia who recalls the ultra-simple composition of this product: flour and eggs. What good in other words!