By Noma Faingold

When chef/owner Anthony Strong decided to open his restaurant/shop combo, the Pasta Supply Co. (PSC), in April 2023 on Clement Street, he took DIY (do it yourself) to an extreme.

From construction and design to recipe and menu development, operations, branding, packaging and marketing, Strong was at the helm.

“I had managed enough projects and build-outs to know what it took and know I can probably accomplish something approximate by watching YouTube videos,” Strong said. “Turns out, you can do a lot of thinking on what you want your pasta concept to be while you are laying grout.”

He had enough sense not to touch anything electrical.

“No way,” he said.

The unique concept progressed over his many years in the restaurant business. Strong, 42, started working in kitchens when he was 16. He dropped out of high school because he knew he wanted to be a chef.

“I was obsessed and never thought twice about it,” he said.

He has experienced great success working with the Delfina Restaurant Group (DRG) for more than a decade, where he became executive chef at the original Delfina restaurant and was involved in opening five of the six DRG establishments.

However, his first restaurant as owner, Prairie, in the Mission District, became collateral damage because of the COVID-19 pandemic, just as it was finding its audience. Prairie died after about a year.

It was heartbreaking, but it may have led Strong to a revelation to create a smaller operation with a narrow focus: pasta. And he knows pasta.

At the height of the pandemic, the entrepreneurial Strong tried a few endeavors to make ends meet, including being of service to the community by running a “general store” out of the Prairie space and hosting dinners for four (two seatings each night) in a vintage camper van he called Super Stella.

“I knew there was something there,” he said. “If the traditional restaurant model didn’t really work anymore, I might as well try something new.”

The vision was a casual vibe with simple décor, where customers could affordably dine in or shop at deli-style display cases for a wide variety of perfectly portioned (for two servings), high quality fresh pasta (30 shapes, like Bucatini and Rigatoni; some stuffed like saffron-ricotta Cuscini), an array of sauce pairings (such as fava bean pesto and pork sugo) and other accoutrements, like saffron and lemon pistachios, spicy citrus olives, cheeses and cured meats.

“I really wanted people to walk in and see a playground of ingredients they can work with at home,” Strong said. “Dining in and the retail balance out each other nicely. On nights that we might be slower in the dining room, we still have people coming in and grabbing something to cook at home.”

A year after the Pasta Supply Co. came into being at the 40-seat restaurant in the Inner Richmond, Strong opened a second (and much bigger) restaurant/shop in the Mission District. He now has 60 employees. Still, he works seven days a week. He took one vacation – a weekend off last year to get married.

“It was a bumpy ride the last few years. I would go months without any real income. After that, I don’t sweat working a seventh day,” he said. “I love being able to do what I do and be around the people that I love. Doing something that I feel makes a positive contribution to the City and the neighborhoods.”

A second PSC space proved necessary because the tiny kitchen at Clement had its limitations, namely not being able to cook meat.

“There’s no gas and no hood,” Strong said. “Before we found the Mission space, we were buying roasted chickens from Roli Roti and lamb legs from Souvla. They’re all great things but a little expensive.”

The Minneapolis-born Strong, who lives in Cole Valley, picked the Clement Street space because he was enamored with some nearby businesses. He knew the Sunday farmers market would bring foot traffic, but he is also a fan of the child-centric Tantrum gift shop and restaurants Lily (Vietnamese) and Wako (Japanese).

“It felt right,” he said.

Neither PSC restaurant takes reservations. Dine-in guests survey that day’s menu and order with the host before being seated. According to Strong, it actually cuts down on wait time.

“We don’t do fancy,” he said. “Pasta isn’t supposed to be bougie.”

At the Mission restaurant, PSC offers pasta-making classes at least once a week for small groups. The hands-on, four-hour class for $210, teaches the basics of creating dough and making different pasta shapes, including stuffed ones.

One Saturday morning class was led by Mission restaurant chef Marc Baltes. Toward the end of class, Baltes had the class follow him into the tight kitchen space. He demonstrated how to cook the pasta the students had made. On the stovetop, he worked several pans at once, mixing in different sauces with particular pasta shapes. Then the students feasted. Each participant was even given a goodie bag on their way out.

Do not be surprised if Strong leads a class now and then. He sees the role as teacher as just part of running a small business.

“It’s different every day, every hour,” he said. “We have a really good team but I still end up with my hands all over the place.”

Pasta Supply Co. is open seven days a week. No reservations. www.pastasupplyco.com. Inner Richmond: Retail 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Dinner, 4:30-9 p.m., 236 Clement St., 415-236-2668. Mission District: Retail 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Dinner, 5-9 p.m., 3233 22nd St., 415-347-3792.