Raffetto’s—A Century Link to the Village’s Past

By Caroline Benveniste
When you enter Raffetto’s, you might be greeted by the sound of the guillotine. Not just one swift thwack, but repeated chopping. In the back of the store the ninety-nine year old pasta cutting machine chops away, cutting to order four different widths of pasta, from linguine to wide fettuccine. The one inch wide pappardelle must be cut by hand. Customers buying pasta choose not only the desired thickness, but also the flavor, of which there are more than a dozen, ranging from the basic egg to whole wheat, black pepper, chestnut, saffron, and even chocolate.

Founded in 1906 by Marcello Raffetto, the store was first located on Sullivan Street. A few years later, it moved to its current location on Houston Street, and the family wisely purchased the building in the 1920’s. Gino, Marcello’s son, was born in the United States but grew up in Italy. He returned after World War II and worked at a bank for a number of years until one of his cousins retired and left an opening at the store. He much preferred working in the family business to climbing the corporate ladder at the bank, and eventually ran the business until he retired in the early 1990’s.

Raffetto’s originally sold dried pasta. The fresh pasta was formed into nests and allowed to dry overnight. Surprisingly, the dry pasta was even sent through the mail. As fresh pasta became more popular in the 1980’s, Raffetto’s made the transition from dry to fresh. Now in addition to the cut pasta, they make ravioli (in three sizes and with over a dozen different fillings), tortellini, cavatelli, gnocchi and manicotti.

For the first ninety years, all the pasta was made in the back of the store. As the business continued to grow, the family bought a building on Leroy Street and West Street and production was moved there. In 2007, they sold that building and moved the operation to an even bigger factory in New Jersey. Raffetto’s pasta is available vacuum packed at stores like the Fairway and Zabar’s, and those products are shipped directly from the factory.

In the late 1990’s Raffetto’s added sauces and prepared foods to their offerings. All the cooking takes place in the kitchen at the back of the store, and the recipes are mostly Romana’s, Gino’s wife. The Classic Pesto is one of their best selling items, and many customers (this author included) like it so much that they no longer make their own. Another favorite is the lasagna, which some hotels order for banquets and weddings. The delicious and reasonably priced prepared foods have become very popular as many people don’t always have the time or desire to cook.

Gino passed away in 2006, but Raffetto’s continues to be a family business. At eighty-two, Romana still works at the store and supervises much of the cooking. Her two sons, Andrew and Richard, have been involved with Raffetto’s since grammar school and currently manage different parts of the business: Andrew runs the store, while Richard runs the factory. Two of Andrew’s daughters, Sarah and Alex, represent the fourth generation working at the store. Sarah started working at Raffetto’s in high school. While she was in college, Andrew encouraged Sarah to travel extensively and consider other careers, but all her experiences only served to affirm her decision to continue at the store.

In addition to the pasta and pasta-related products, Raffetto’s also carries some cheeses, salami, bread and other Italian products, making it a convenient place to shop for ingredients for an Italian dinner, if one is in the mood to cook, or a ready-made meal, if not.

Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients:

1 
lb fresh Tagliarini alla Chitarra from Raffetto’s
6 
oz. grated Pecorino Romano (also available at Raffetto’s)
2 
TBS heavy cream
2 
tsp extra-virgin olive oil
coarsely ground black pepper to taste (at least 1 tsp)

Bring large pot of water to boil with about 1 tsp salt
When water is boiling, add pasta and cook for 5-6 minutes. When pasta is almost al dente, reserve ½ cup pasta water and drain.
Turn heat to low. Add water back to pot and whisk in 4 oz. cheese. Add cream, oil, and pepper, and continue to mix until the mixture is uniform.
Add the pasta to the sauce, stirring until it is completely coated. Turn up heat to thicken sauce, and if desired stir in up to 2 more oz. cheese.
Taste and add extra pepper if desired (the dish should be very peppery).