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How an Instagram Message Revived a Dying Couple-Owned Pasta Business

In 2021, the resignation of a business partner prompted New Jersey chef AJ Sankofa to temporarily close his gourmet pasta restaurant, and even when it reopened a few months later, the business was not the same.

According to Scripps News, Sankofa was contacted unexpectedly by the Food Network via his Instagram account, asking if he and his company, ESO Artisanal Pasta, would like to apply for a spot on The Great Food Truck Race.

After surviving numerous rounds of tryouts and securing a place to compete against other chef teams with their old-world Italian-style handcrafted pasta and sauces, Sankofa, his wife Kristin Gambarian, and their buddy Matt McFadden received their own food truck.

They were moved to California to compete between February and April of last year, with the results made public in June. Apart from the publicity, Sankofa stated that participation in the Food Network was educational. The three chefs representing ESO Pasta had never run a food truck before this encounter. After learning how to function within the constraints of a food truck, they learned that making artisanal pasta in a tiny space is difficult. In the food truck series, the team was the first to offer pasta.

After surviving six episodes before being removed, ESO Artisanal finished third out of nine teams.

The ESO team returned from California with a new sense of self, admirers from all over the country, and a number of prospects, including a job offer from presenter Tyler Florence, according to the Daily Record.

“We get people from Canada, from all over, who saw us, and they wanted to try our pasta,” Gambarian noted. Upon their return, the crew became busy in its retail store on Elm Street processing orders for its renowned fresh, high-end pasta and sauce requests that they received from new fans across the nation.

In June of last year, the crew announced that it will begin cooking for private parties while working toward the longer-term goal of opening its own restaurant.

Written by PH

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