Giorgio Family Makes Freshness a Top Priority

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

It’s all about the flour – it’s organic. And the ricotta cheese for ravioli is organic. To top it off, everything is fresh.

Best of all, it’s all fresh at Durum artisan fresh pasta, 427 Eastern Ave., in Lynn, owned by the Giorgio family of Revere, who have also owned La Famiglia Giorgio at 112 Salem St. in the North End for more than 30 years. That’s also over 30 years of making fresh pasta and bread.

Outgrowing their cooking area in the restaurant for baking and pasta making, the Giorgio family purchased in the facility in Lynn.

“If it’s not organic, it’s not authentic, and if it’s not authentic, then it’s not Durum artisan fresh pasta,” goes the company saying.

“We are not trying to reinvent the process, we are just making pasta the way it was meant to be made; with natural ingredients so we can offer a naturally good product. We only use 100 percent American-made, certified organic semolina and durum flours in our pasta, which is sourced from North Dakota. All our pastas have a combination of the following three ingredients: organic flour, organic eggs sourced from New Hampshire, and filtered water (filtered four times),” said Al Giorgio Sr., adding that his wife Maryann is the brainchild behind the operation, which opened last week. She holds a regular full-time job as business manager at St. Anthony’s Church in Revere during the week and spends her weekend time teaching others how to make the pasta.

Some of the pasta offerings include:

100 percent Organic Semolina Extruded Pasta such cavatelli, rigatoni, gemelli, spaghetti, ziti rigate and more. There are specialty doughs from tomato, spinach, mushroom, beet, Calabrian chile, squid ink, lemon pepper, basil and more. Don’t go home without organic stuffed and specialty pastas such as jumbo organic cheese ravioli, potato gnocchi and lasagna sheets.

There is also 100 percent egg pasta such as angel hair, linguini, fettucine, Gran Fusilli, as well as 100 percent organic whole wheat pastas and gluten free pastas.

Durum also offers fresh bread – organic ciabatta, organic Kalanata olive ciabatta and organic focaccia.

“There are a whole bunch of great pasta places in the North End and Boston area, but there aren’t many up this way,” said Al Goirgio Sr. “We don’t have the 100 percent organic, fresh pasta places like our grandparents had 75 years ago. This brings it back to the way it used to be.”

Durum also offers prepared foods made daily such as chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, lasagna, sausage/onions/peppers, sauces and more. “When you all believe in something together that’s the best. We all believe in the product,” said Al Giorgio Jr., Son Al Giorgio Sr. who works side-by-side with his father.