Meeting owners Isaac Varano and Lorenzo Fantarella in person, you can see why Pasta Prego has become a regular spot for Chapel St locals. The pair are down to earth, incredibly hospitable, big personalities with an almost disarming warmth and genuineness, yet both are very switched on and considered in their business approach. What they’ve created is quite special – a workplace where staff are chummy with each other, and customers feel the good vibes whilst getting a delicious bowl of pasta, quick. Yet the venue is just over a year old, and Varano and Fantarella’s first business. But their story together goes back over a decade.
Growing up in Italian families
The pair met when they were 12 and quickly became close friends, playing soccer, football, table tennis, as well as video games together. “We used to play FIFA and Skype all day,” says Lorenzo.
“We would do it for hours on end during the school holidays,” says Isaac. “Then I went to the same high school as Lorenzo, and then became best mates from then on.”
Both come from families with Italian heritage, which played a big part in their childhoods. You’d almost think they were destined to start a pasta joint, especially with Lorenzo eating pasta 4 or 5 times a week, until you learn Isaac’s old pasta habits. No sauce, just butter.
Once a week we would have dinner at nonna’s house, and she’d have a huge pot of sauce and scoop that onto everyone’s plate, and I’d just have my pasta and butter.”
Isaac Varano → Co-Owner
His taste has thankfully broadened, especially taste testing everything they serve in-store, and growing up, he couldn’t really escape the sauce. Crushing and cooking copious amounts of tomatoes was a yearly tradition for both of their families.
“The smell of 100 kilos of tomatoes, it wasn’t for me. But you grow to love it, and now I do it every day, so I can’t complain,” laughs Lorenzo.
Brewing an idea
We have plenty of quick burger chains, plenty of national pizza joints for takeaway, but not takeaway pasta. That’s what Lorenzo first noticed: the opportunity to serve more affordable pasta for someone in need of a quick bite. He was working in finance at the time (“loved the job but wasn’t loving the lifestyle,” he says), and when cooking started becoming a chore, the business opportunity became more attractive.
People want convenient takeaway options. And you’re limited at that price point by the thinking, ‘well, if I’m going to spend $15 on ingredients anyway, do I just buy?’ So it’s trying to fit into that price point, that’s where we want to be.”
Lorenzo Fantarella → Co-Owner
People usually consume pasta at a sit down, full service restaurant, and with that comes a higher price point. “Sometimes a plate of pasta can be $40,” says Isaac, “and I’ll have it and think, ‘that’s really nice,’ but also, ‘I think I can make the same sort of tasting pasta for a much cheaper price.’ So that’s kind of what we’ve aimed to do, make high quality dishes, but at an affordable price for everyone. I think that’s why it works, and I think people do appreciate the taste at that price.”
Idea quite quickly turned into reality when Lorenzo actually quit his job (after saying he would numerous times before). He moved back home to Adelaide and together, began setting everything up for the business.
“We were like, if we don’t do it now, we’re never going to do it, and we’re probably going to regret it for the rest of our lives,” says Isaac. “In high school and throughout uni, Lorenzo and I were pretty similar, we were always really interested in business, and the opportunity came up to open a business in another state with your best mate and it would be your business – we’ve always dreamed of having our own business in some way, and there’s an opportunity here, why don’t we give it a crack?”
Opening the shop
In May 2023, Pasta Prego opened its doors to the Prahran community, with the concept of quick takeaway pasta at an affordable price in full swing. Still, every order is cooked in its own pan for that sear and caramelisation, which means every order is customisable – the sauce you want, the type of pasta you want, and any additions or removals.
Recipes include Isaac’s nonno’s Italian pork and fennel, and a red sauce tweaked from a combination of both family’s. The pair even did taste tests with the family to hone their recipes. “Having Italian parents, they’re pretty harsh critics, so it’s actually good to have them around,” says Lorenzo.
It quickly became a hot spot for locals; some visiting multiple times a week. Lorenzo and Isaac, with their charm and personality, have gotten to know their regulars and even made friends with a few (we almost couldn’t walk 5 minutes without bumping into someone they know). And even though Chapel Street has an eclectic crowd, the guys have embraced it.
A bit of trial and error
Isaac and Lorenzo don’t claim to know it all. Testing and iterating has been a big part of their process, and they’ve enjoyed sharing the process together.
It’s building something, and being able to tweak things and go, ‘how did that work out?’”
Lorenzo Fantarella → Co-Owner
“Like rearranging our drinks display and then looking at the sales figures at the end of the week – we get real life feedback, and that’s actually why we love Square. We make a lot of decisions based on the data in the reports. For example, you can see when most of your orders are coming through to the second. So okay, we need staffing to come half now later in summer because we have a later rush, and we can see that by our sales data.”
The pair are always looking for optimisations – how they can save a bit of time on every order. With the recent introduction of a digital bump screen, Square Kitchen Display, instead of physical order dockets, no orders get lost, and everyone can see what’s in the queue.
Wait times have significantly decreased during peak hours which is great.”
Isaac Varano → Co-Owner
“We’re running with one less staff member because we’ve got the screens and it’s so much easier to run, and more accountable as well because you can see how long a customer has been waiting, and it turns red when they’ve been waiting too long,” says Lorenzo.
Running a business with your best friend
The high school best friends not only run a business together, they live together as well. You’d think they would have driven each other crazy by now, but not so. In fact, quite the opposite.
“We never had brothers growing up, we both had sisters, so it’s like I finally got a brother,” says Lorenzo.
“Before moving to Melbourne, we that we’re comfortable with each other, to have like zero social battery and that to be fine,” says Isaac.
And with an established friendship comes trust. “I can not look at our bank account for a week and know that Isaac hasn’t taken it and gone off to some nice island in Spain. So it’s good just having someone you can rely on and trust.”
Hard times and struggles often bring people together, and they have been through the trenches, of course coming out better for it.
Because we’ve been through such lows and such highs, we actually want to experience everything together.”
Isaac Varano → Co-Owner
When it comes to future ambitions, both made it clear that they don’t want to get ahead of themselves and are staying present. But you can see their ambition. “No-one’s doing takeaway pasta nationally / internationally. So we don’t know where that brings us, but hopefully somewhere along there.”
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