meet nashville: five minutes, five questions with danny from nashville’s own nicoletto pasta

so you’ve got quite a list of flavors lately.  what have been the most popular so far?

we have been making a variety of different flavors this year mainly for the farmers markets.   when we decided to manufacture flavored pasta, we chose to use real ingredients opposed to certain powders other companies use to enhance the flavor which often contain additives and preservatives.   fresh baby spinach for our green spinach fettuccine, squeezed lemons and zest for our lemon pepper, real porcini mushrooms, and multiple cups of garlic for our most popular “super garlic” linguine.   we want our pasta to taste great but also be able to tell our customers all of the natural ingredients in our flavors.   

do you guys offer a gluten free option?

we are working to offer more gluten free in 2016.  because we use durum wheat on all of our machines, we would need a dedicated facility and new machinery to claim a certified GF product. as an alternative, we do have a good friendship with a GF plant in denver that has provided us with a line of dried pasta made with rice flour so we look forward to offering that until we develop our GF recipe on dedicated equipment for fresh & dried.      

did you know in the 18th century, the word macaroni was a synonym for perfection? that’s why the feather in yankee doodle’s hat was called “macaroni”.  true story.

yes actually!   really, who would’ve thought that a cut of pasta would become a word to describe fashion and style.   world travelers would see the dish around italy and france and they were amazed at how exotic that noodle was.   apparently, the term stemmed from an established “macaroni club” in britain.     

time to make the pasta

where can people find you guys and your pastas now that the summer farmer markets are over?

the markets were a big help in letting us test certain pasta cuts and flavors as well as gaining feedback from our customers on what they would like to see.   we look forward to seeing everyone again in the spring of 2016.  until then, we are still at the franklin winter market at the factory every saturday and we are participating in a few holiday markets in november in december. those include the gallatin galavant on small business saturday and porter flea market in december.   our dried pasta cuts can also be picked up at a few great stores in nashville as well as our website. 

– porter road butcher (east & west)

– batch (nashville farmers market)

– cocos italian market

– tower market & deli

what’s next for the nicoletto’s pasta company?  we have had a really great response from the community here in nashville during our first year in business.   restaurants such as fido and lockeland table supported us with adding our fresh cuts to their menu weekly, and we have had a great response serving lunch out of the grow local kitchen in the nashville farmers market several times a month.  looking ahead to 2016 we will be opening our first retail / eatery store in east nashville just down the road from our factory.   we are excited to open a place that customers can come on in and pick up any of fresh pasta, ravioli, gnocchi or dried pasta to take home or stay for a quick lunch or dinner.   look for us at 2905A gallatin pike next door to mickeys & the hop stop in east nashville coming january 2016.    visit us at www.nicolettos.com or @nicolettospasta on facebook, instagram, and twitter for more updates!

want to own in the urban core? here’s four affordable developments breaking ground this summer that might work

the new 610 merritt in wedgewood houston

as the city continues its efforts to become more walkable and bikeable and millennials and baby boomers both take the lead in moving into the urban core, there is an increasing demand for more affordable housing options.  here are four developments breaking ground this summer hoping to fill that need.

first up, a 7-acre development in the weho neighborhood (wedgewood-houston, fairgrounds area…whatever you prefer to call it) called the finery.  core development is at the helm and hopes to start construction on the first two mixed-use buildings, six10 merritt & 1238 martin, in the next 30 days.

1238 martin

in these first phases (both starting this year), there will be townhouses with garages, condos, retail & restaurant spaces, you name it.  core has built other mixed-use buildings like 12th & paris (which houses most notably burger up in the 12 south neighborhood).  the commercial retail & restaurant aspects being included with these two buildings are easily creating the foundation of this emerging neighborhood, providing walkable/bikeable options.  prices on one bedroom flats start at $149,900, two bedrooms at $249,900.

porter village

the tennessean reported earlier this month that the average sales price for east nashville zip code 37206 is up 24%.  seeing the need, two developers are breaking ground on a larger scale this summer across the river.  porter village, a 40-unit development at cahal avenue and porter road, will also be a mixture of condos and townhomes.  the condos will be on the porter road side starting in the $100s and be built around a street level coffee shop space.  the townhomes will include garages and be priced in the $400s.

solo east nashville

sitting on the corner of litton avenue and gallatin road, solo east nashville will be a 130-unit development with one bedrooms starting at $149,900 and two bedrooms starting $189,900.  the development will be gated and boasts luxury higher end finishes like granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and 9′ high ceilings. completion is set for spring 2016.

lastly, probably the farthest along of these four, on the west side of the city in the nations is west mill townhomes. this 6-acre 98-townhome community started pre-selling initially under $200,000, the first round should be ready for new homeowners in the fall.

level one going up on the west mill townhomes a few blocks north of charlotte pike

hopes of new nashville condo construction

twelve|twelve, a new high rise in the gulch, has received over $30 million in committed reservations should the building switch from a high-end apartment building to a condominium development next month.  the decision will be announced in mid-march but already, it is likely with this kind of upward momentum.

nashville is no stranger to top 10 lists the last couple of years.  in 2014, we land in the top 10 real estate markets to watch.   new condo developments are something the city hasn’t seen much of in the last five years but that may be about to change.  for the recent past,  hotels and apartments have been much easier for developers to get financed thus we are witnessing an onslaught of new apartment units in the thousands hitting the market right now in the urban core.  many lenders have felt that building a condo development was a risk.  that mindset is evolving.

in addition to twelve|twelve‘s 288 units in the gulch that could start under $300,000, the tennessean reported this week that a local developer group is planning a 120-unit east nashville condo project on litton avenue just off gallatin pike.  prices will range from $109,000-$149,900.   they will first need to get the 3-acre property rezoned since it is zoned currently for single-family residences.

also, up in east nashville, a 38-unit development is in the works near marche artisan cafe at 949 main street.  it will also include a 5,000 square foot street level retail space.  they hope to begin construction in late 2014.

new condos planned for main street in east nashville

finally, someone is building condos again in the city.  within walking distance from east nashville’s beloved marche & five points at 949 main street, nashville-based oak tree partners is planning a new four-story condo development.  the nashville post broke the story friday that the 38-unit building will also include a 5,000 square foot space on the street level for retail or office as well.

if approved, it’ll sit on the new bus rapid-transit system (AMP) route.  this marks the first condos for the strip since fifth & main opened its door in 2008.  construction could begin as early as late 2014.  more to come!

is nashville becoming a fashion epicenter?

12 south’s boutique denim factory, imogene + willies

it’s fair to say the media attention nashville has been receiving lately about our food and fashion is pretty astounding.   there have been travel guides in magazines like southern living & bon appetit.  the ny times tipped their hat to our culinary scene in june.  a couple of weeks later, even gq magazine did an eight page spread on our city dubbing it “nowville.”

the icing on the cake was recently when a media analytics company unveiled the top u.s. cities for fashion.  nashville ranked fourth in the country.  what?  i mean, sure new york and los angeles are at the top of the list but nashville is fourth?

like seattle, which ranks eighth and is home to nordstrom, most of the cities in the top 50 have major fashion company headquarters.  nashville..not so much.  the study attributes our great strength is our city’s long standing tie with the music industry.  they seem to go hand in hand:

“…In the highly competitive marketing landscape, therefore, fashion designers and firms need to develop creative and innovative marketing tools to get their brands and products noticed and this intensifies the need for indie fashion designers to collaborate with musicians.

In the music industry the growing impetus for musicians to collaborate with fashion designers stems from the need to differentiate their products on the basis of something other than sound.”

that relationship is integral of course but our “it” factor and unique style can also be attributed to our new wave of local chefs, architects and independent fashion designers that are getting recognized across the country and the synergy they have between them.  it comes down to big small town values and understanding how pivotal it is for small local businesses to strive together to see others succeed.

with the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the goo-goo cluster this fall, the nashville-based candy company reached out to the local food scene inviting them to create their own goo-goo recipes for the month of october.  over 40 food trucks, bakeries & restaurants are participating.  and when barista parlor, a coffeehouse on the east side, opened earlier this year, the staff was decked out in imogene + willie denim & otis james ties & hats.   they use local chocolate company, olive and sinclair‘s chocolate in their mochas.  there is a style, a momentum that is built upon at a grass roots level that’s been fun to see unfold lately around town.

supporting local businesses is necessary to succeed.  keeps nashville unique.  not to mention it keeps us looking good and ushers us into our season of cool every once in awhile.