Three Classes Later: What I Learned at Angelo’s Italian Market

After taking my first pasta making class at Angelo’s Italian Market in Zionsville, I enjoyed it enough to go back for a second. Then, of course, I had to finish what I started. Three classes later, I have officially completed the entire pasta-making series.

My first class introduced me to the basics of making fresh pasta from scratch. I learned how a simple mixture of flour and water becomes dough, how much kneading matters, and how dramatically the texture changes as that dough is rolled thinner and thinner. Anna taught that first class, and by the end of the evening I was already thinking about coming back. So I did.

Moving On to Filled Pasta

The second class moved into filled pasta. This time, Chris demonstrated at least eight different shapes before letting us choose which ones we wanted to make ourselves. I made ravioli and girasoli filled with whipped ricotta and salami. And this time, the pasta machine entered the scene, and it was fun to learn how to use it and work the different settings.

That class felt more detailed than the first because the shaping required more precision. Filling, sealing, and forming each piece by hand gave me an entirely new appreciation for the work that goes into fresh stuffed pasta. By then, there really was no question that I would return for the third and final class.

Saving the Most Colorful Class for Last

For the final class, Anna and Chris taught together. This felt fitting since each of them had been part of my first two visits.

Instead of simply making another batch of traditional dough, we worked with naturally derived powders that could turn the pasta. Seeing all the colors lined up before we started felt a little like opening a box of paints; I chose blue and purple.

The process still began with the same fundamentals I had learned in my first class: mixing, kneading, and patiently working the dough until it was smooth enough to rest, then roll. But once those colors started appearing in the dough, the whole process became much more playful.

We rolled the different colors into sheets, layered and combined them, and eventually sent striped sheets through the pasta machine. Watching blue and purple ribbons emerge from the cutter may have been my favorite moment of the night. We turned the dough into several different shapes, including farfalle and fettuccine. By the end of the class, my work surface was covered with some of the prettiest pasta I had ever made. Almost too pretty to cook… just almost, and captured here!

Three Classes, Three Different Experiences

What I appreciate most after completing all three classes is that none of them felt like the same experience repeated with a different pasta shape. The first class gave me the foundation. It made fresh pasta feel approachable and taught me the basic techniques I would use again and again. The second class added another level of precision. Chris showed us an entire collection of filled pasta shapes, and learning to fill, seal, and shape them made me slow down and pay more attention to technique.

The third was the most creative. Once we started experimenting with color, pasta became as much about appearance as technique. Taken together, the three classes built naturally on one another. By the final class, I was no longer wondering how the pasta machine worked or what the dough should feel like. I could simply enjoy experimenting with what I had already learned.

And apparently completing all three comes with bragging rights in the form of an Angelo’s T-shirt. I happily accepted mine!

A Class You Can Actually Take Home

One of the things I really appreciate about the classes is that you do not leave with only a container of pasta and a few photos. You also go home with the recipes on index cards so you can continue making pasta at home. That may sound like a small detail, but it makes the whole experience feel much more useful. I do not have to rely on remembering exactly what Anna or Chris said weeks later. The basic recipes and techniques come home with me, ready to use whenever I decide to make another batch.

At this point, the only thing standing between me and more homemade pasta is ordering the pasta attachment for my stand mixer.I think that tells you how successful the classes have been.

Bringing the Pasta Home

When I signed up for my first class, I was simply looking for a fun pasta-making experience. I did not expect it to turn into three.

Each time I went back, I learned a little more and became more confident. Anna taught me the basics, Chris introduced me to filled pasta, and having them both there for the final class felt like the perfect ending to the series.

I came home with colorful pasta, a new T-shirt, recipe cards, and the confidence to make fresh pasta at home. That may be what I love most about experiences like these. You do not just leave with a memory. You leave knowing how to recreate a little piece of it in your own kitchen.

Now I just need to order that pasta attachment.