Windy City Pasta Works

Since the summer of 2004, Windy City Pasta Works has carved out a niche in the pasta world. Based in suburban Chicago, proprietor Meghan Gilbert and her family create fresh, organic, handcrafted pastas and sauces. They have committed to producing the highest quality pastas and sauces from pure, organic ingredients.

The mother of three small children, Meghan balances the many demands of home-schooling her girls and running a growing business with the help of her husband who is currently training a production staff and developing new recipes and products.

Meghan’s husband Theo is an Executive Chef who has recently started an informational foundation whose goal is to provide the average diner and consumer with a reliable source of information about the food we all eat. More information on the foundation can be found at www.realfoodchicago.org.

Why is producing organic a priority for your family?
We choose to use all organic ingredients when making our pastas and sauces because we feel that it is important to use the best products available, free of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and GMOs. As much as possible we use ingredients from other producers at the Green City Market, which is where we started.

What is your favorite part of being an organic producer?
Seeing from peoples reactions that we are making a difference–and having plenty of great organic food around to eat !!! We seem to eat pasta two or three times a week, and more often than not it is the swiss chard tagliatelle with just butter and Parmigiano. Fresh pasta with mushrooms is another favorite.

Why should people buy organic products instead of other options?
People should be able to eat food that they know is safe. Many people simply don’t realize what they are putting into their bodies. We would like to raise awareness about the benefits of eating organic, knowing what you are putting in your body without sacrificing gourmet flavor.

What makes your business and your foods special?
We are the only ones of our kind. No one else is doing what we are doing and no one has the commitment that we do to organics and sustainability.

We use only the best ingredients available. My husband is an executive chef and he has shown me over the years how important the quality of the ingredients really is. We have a Classic Egg pasta that is many times almost orange in color because of the incredible eggs we use. The baby swiss chard that we puree and fold into our pasta is often still warm from the sun because it was in the field mere hours before we are washing it and turning it in to pasta. The whole-wheat flour imparts such an aromatic, nutty flavor to the whole-wheat pasta that most customers report they can’t bear to cover it with any sauce!

Where can consumers get your products?
We are at two farmers’ markets in Chicago–the Green City Market, and the market at the corner of Division and Dearborn. We are currently working on our website, www.windycitypasta.com, and will soon be offering a weekly pickup at Bespoke Cuisine at 1358 W. Randolph in Chicago. The Green City Market has moved into the Lion House at Lincoln Park Zoo for the winter and will be open from 9am-1pm the first three Saturdays of both November and December.

For more information on Windy City Pasta Works, visit www.windycitypasta.com or e-mail Meg at meg@realfoodchicago.org.