Main image for profile titled Leah Ferrazzani
When Leah Ferrazzani started Semolina Artisanal Pasta back in 2014—making pasta in her kitchen and drying it in the laundry room while her toddlers were at daycare—it was with the goal of crafting organic dried pasta that rivaled the best from Italy. Every day she channeled her inner Nonna, filling a tiny extruder with a mixture of Semolina, water and the love of feeding people that started when she was a child. It was the thing she kept coming back to as she pursued careers in poetry and journalism and publishing, managing and serving at exceptional restaurants across the country, and finally as a food and wine writer. Semolina is a culmination of everything that drives Leah, connecting people through food: building community and extending joy and comfort, all through pasta. In addition to making sought after fresh and dried pasta for chefs and home cooks alike, Semolina's retail shop in Pasadena has expanded to offer Italian-inspired sandwiches and carefully curated provisions to better feed the neighborhood.