In Leominster, Pastaland is as magical as it sounds

Boston Globe

24-06-2025

Co-owner Vinny Pusateri shows off some of Pastaland's wares.
Jane Dornbusch
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Pastaland's early history isn't well documented, but Pusateri guesses the original shop opened around 1974, in a different Leominster location. Pusateri, whose father worked in nearby Fitchburg, says he recalls visiting Pastaland as a child. 'I was raised on it, as were many in the area,' he says. 'It was a staple.' When that location closed, he figured the store had disappeared, but he later rediscovered it on Route 117, in a spot he correctly describes as 'not very visible.' It was under different ownership, but the proprietors, Stephen and Darlene Aubuchon, had learned from the founder, and everything was just as Pusateri remembered it.
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Then one day, as Pusateri was getting his cheese ravioli fix, Stephen Aubuchon mentioned that he was retiring and selling the shop. One thing led to another, and today, Pastaland is owned by Pusateri and a longtime employee and partner, Ashley Bail.
One of the vintage pasta-making machines imported from Argentina some 50 years ago.
Jane Dornbusch
Bail and her mother, Lynette Harris, do nearly all the hands-on work of making the pasta, meatballs, and sauces, with some help from students in a culinary arts program at Leominster High School. The process starts with preparing a dough Bail refers to as the 'crumble,' because it's, well, crumbly. Pusateri won't reveal what's in the proprietary mix of four flours — 'the blend and ratio is the trick,' he says — but he is willing to share that the dough contains just a bit of carrot, for sweetness.
Depending on what kind of pasta is being made, it may next be rolled, extruded, stuffed, or cut. It is prepared fresh daily, and regulars know that if they hope to get a meatball, they'd better visit on a Tuesday. 'I make 20 pounds on Tuesday morning, and they can be gone by Tuesday afternoon,' says Bail.
Most popular are the small cheese ravioli, but the larger 'gourmet' ravioli, stuffed with spinach or pumpkin or mushrooms, also have their fans. The light, tender ravioli are worth every carb, but the spaghetti and gemelli, with their distinctive, almost bouncy chew, serve to demonstrate how and why the best pasta transcends its simple formula.
Visitors to the shop can witness the whole process taking place behind the counter; the small manufacturing area is open to view. In fact, says Pusateri, although Pastaland is a retail shop (with a few local wholesale accounts), it is licensed as a food manufacturing business. That suits Pusateri and Bail just fine, because making outstanding pasta is the mission.
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'We do get lots of great ideas, like add this or that, or become more of an Italian grocer,' says Pusateri. 'But instead, we have focused on keeping it very basic. This is how it's worked, all these years: We do one thing, and we do it well.'
Pastaland, 557 Lancaster St., Leominster, 978-534-9400.
Ashley Bail (left) and her mother, Lynette Harris (right), show off the popular cheese ravioli. The two prepare nearly everything sold at Pastaland.
Jane Dornbusch