White Point Partners, Paces Properties, and Bridger Properties are thrilled to announce a forthcoming tenant addition to Optimist Hall’s roster: ESO Artisanal Pasta. Slated to open in the second half of 2024, ESO Artisanal Pasta will join the 26 other tenants within the beloved Charlotte food hall.
ESO Artisanal Pasta is the entrepreneurial adventure of Chefs AJ Sankofa and Kristina Gambarian. The husband-wife team turned their passion for Italian cooking into a booming nationwide delivery and local pick-up business during the COVID-19 pandemic, making handmade pastas and sauces. Word of mouth spread, and the artisan pasta shop skyrocketed to popularity with AJ appearing on Food Network’s Chopped and The Great Food Truck Race. In 2021, ESO opened its first storefront in Morristown, New Jersey, and orders from across the nation began pouring in.
Now, the couple has set their sights on Optimist Hall to share the authentic flavors of Italy with Charlotte, where AJ grew up. Chef AJ, who studied and lived in Italy, joined the team at the Michelin-starred Ristorante Larossa in Torino, working his way up from line cook to pasta cook. Upon returning to the U.S., AJ continued to grow his love of fine pasta dishes, accepting a position at New York City’s Legacy Records in Hudson Yards, where he met future wife and business partner, Kristina, while working at the restaurant. Chef Kristina who shares AJ’s passion for pasta and Italian cuisine, hails from Ukraine and brings her own Eastern European influences to the pastry and dessert offerings at ESO Artisanal Pasta.
“We are beyond ecstatic for this next chapter of ESO and to return to the city of Charlotte, where I spent some of my childhood,” said AJ Sankofa, Chef and Owner of ESO Artisanal Pasta. “Optimist Hall is an exciting opportunity for us and felt like the perfect place to bring ESO Artisanal Pasta to the next level. We’re looking forward to creating some of the most authentic pasta in the city by using fresh ingredients and familiar flavors with interesting twists.”
The first of its kind at Optimist Hall, ESO Artisanal Pasta will transport guests to an Italian trattoria, with a concise menu that is focused on fresh ingredients, offering an assortment of pasta dishes and sides like Arancini (fried risotto balls), Polpette (Italian meatballs), and Sicilian Fried Chicken made famous on the Food Network.
“Our mission at Optimist Hall is to bring the community together through food, and AJ and Kristina are doing just that through their concept ESO Artisanal Pasta,” said Merritt Lancaster, Optimist Hall Partner. “With the wildly popular following they have built, we’re excited to see how they continue to grow at Optimist Hall, as Charlotteans are introduced to AJ and Kristina’s talent and high-quality offerings.”
ESO Artisanal Pasta will be located next to Schreiber’s on Rye and Zukku Sushi.
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