Pasta, no matter what shape or form, is one of the world’s most accessible foods and the most popular on this planet. In this country pasta is prepared and served similarly to the way it was found in Italy. In fact, when many of us think of pasta, we think of Italian food and believe it originated there.

Historians say that pasta’s history is lost in the mists of time, although most people associate it with Italy.

Maintaining his Italian heritage, Dominick Calautti makes his own pasta at his home in Mathews. “Not every day,” Dominick confides, “but on special occasions and when I feel the need for some good pasta. I make it the way my mother made it. In fact I once used her hand-cranked pasta machine but my daughter has it now. Today, I use the latest model that fits onto my KitchenAid mixer. It does the cranking for you.

Fresh pasta emerges from the mixer and is laid on a rack to dry.

“I’m from Brooklyn, not New York,” Dominick emphasizes. “Brooklyn is a city unto its sel...