“We’re rooted in Italy’s traditions with Vermont ingredients,” says Giacomo Vascotto, who grew up in Modena, Italy. With his wife, Jenny, the two started the company Trenchers Farmhouse on a sprawling farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Here they produce exquisite fresh pasta made with organic Vermont wheat that’s freshly milled and eggs from their own flock of heritage breed chickens. They also offer an array of sauces that can create a chef-worthy meal with little effort — heirloom tomato and basil, a luxurious Alfredo, a nutty pesto made with a blend of basil and arugula, and a spicy carrot sauce inspired by Calabrian flavors. The ingredients are sourced from their farm or local suppliers, like Pete’s Greens, Wilson’s Herb Farm, and Vermont Creamery. Giacomo and Jenny, both seasoned chefs with experience at Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, met in Italy and later relocated to Jenny’s hometown of San Francisco. Their journey took a turn when Jenny’s mother bought the Vermont farm more than five years ago, prompting the couple to join her. Initially, they planned to open a farm-to-table restaurant but soon shifted focus to producing pasta, sauces, and desserts. Trenchers now offers eight pasta shapes, all made traditionally. There’s fettuccine and rigatoni, and harder-to-find shapes, such as bell-shaped gigli; the ridged shells from Sardinia, gnocchetti sardi, perfect for soups and mac and cheese; and mafaldine, a ribbon-shaped noodle with curly edges. The pastas have an especially creamy and eggy mouthfeel. You might just want to eat them simply with butter and a sprinkle of cheese. Order for shipping at trenchersfarmhouse.com. The company runs a farm stand at 1220 Sugar Maple Road, Lyndonville, Vt.
ANN TRIEGER KURLAND
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com.