I once told my sister that Evan Funke managed to do something old friends and even the Pacific Ocean haven’t been able to do. He managed to get me west of the 405 Freeway, the insurmountable L.A. traffic barrier, to his restaurant Felix, that temple of pasta and other wonderful foods served about a half mile from the funkiness of the Venice Beach Boardwalk. In American Sfoglino, Evan goes one step further as he brings Venice—and Bologna—right to your own kitchen.
Evan is a true American sfoglino. But he wasn’t born into it. Being a sfoglino didn’t come from his roots, it wasn’t passed down to him through generations of his family. In fact, if you didn’t know who he was, you’d likely think he was more suited as a Hells Angel than a pasta master. Look at the forearms on the guy. They’ve got more ink than the Monday edition of the Los Angeles Times.
Evan’s identity as a sfoglino has come through apprenticeship and dedication. He searched out a master. Actually, in his quest, he was fortunate enough to learn from two masters. One is “The Maestra” Alessandra Spisni, a legend in Bologna and eight-time world champion pasta maker. The other is Kosaku Kawamura, a Japanese master who taught Evan the freedom to go beyond traditional methodology.
In American Sfoglino, Evan honors this rigorous training from two of the most influential pasta makers in the world and passes it on to you. Hopefully, you’ll pass it along, too.
As a chef and author who has spent the past 40 years obsessing over the details of my craft, I can recognize singular dedication and value. This book might just be the finest, most educational tool available about the art of fresh pasta making. The first section contains essential master doughs and all the fundamentals, a culmination of Evan’s years of training and experience in those pages. Read and reread this section, as I will, then practice its lessons and practice some more. I know you’ll be tempted to jump in and start making your own pasta, but please read the details before attempting to recreate those beautiful dishes.
Thanks to Evan’s maniacal enthusiasm, you may never again be tempted to buy dried, packaged pasta at the supermarket. And before you know it, the word sfoglino will roll off your tongue as expertly as you roll sfoglia itself.
—NANCY SILVERTON
