From cake to plate – behind the scenes of the Olivia restaurant

Even a bad day can be a good day when pasta is involved—and while there are many varieties of pasta that we’ve come to know and love—Olivia has gone so far as to create a special corner in the restaurant where chef Emily Boyd serves up fresh pasta daily. Here’s a quick look at her day and why fresh pasta is so important to the team.

Pasta chef Emily Boyd – soon to be married, Mrs. Longaker, who jokingly calls herself a “pasta gremlin,” discovered a love of pasta early on. She says, “Something I’ve loved since I was 6 years old.” Since then, that’s become Emily’s future goal. She attended the former Johnson & Wales University in Denver for Culinary Arts—a mission she describes as “primarily motivated by my hunger.” Then she found a home in the hospitality industry for a while, “hopping from job to job, ending up at Bonanno Concepts—Bistro Georgette at Avanti—and when they closed, I ended up at Olivia. As we started to expand, I went from being a sous chef to being ‘THE’ pasta person.” But the question remains—after all that culinary school and the potentially endless possibilities, WHY pasta? “I’ve always been drawn to it—the possibilities are endless. It’s a bit like playing with plasticine as an adult. Everyone loves pasta. Tagliatelle is one of my favorite things to make—it starts with one big piece of pasta that I cut up, so it’s quite a fun process.” What do I like to eat? “I love a good gnocchi—butternut squash, with that brown butter—delicious.”

Landing at a consistently busy spot like Olivia, run by chef Ty Leon — who jokingly calls Emily Pasta Ninja — sometimes means arriving at the restaurant as early as 4 a.m. on a Tuesday to stock up on supplies from a wild weekend — starting with separating the egg yolks and making the dough — starting with the balls already made. “It’s always best to make it the day before you need it. I can see what needs to be done and then the rolling process begins. About 100 pounds of pasta per week.“There’s no dough leftover – all the scraps are saved after cutting and will be rolled back up or used for other pastas, like lasagna sheets. But after all that rolling, you’d think there was no way anyone could make fresh pasta at home – but Emily says, “People can be really intimidated by fresh pasta – I used to be too – but once you get the hang of it, it’s an easy process and you can see what’s really in it. I can’t even buy dried pasta anymore – maybe orzo – but I find it hard to buy anything else when I can just make it at home. There’s always a ball of dough in my fridge at home.” As for home tips – use a wooden surface – like they do in a restaurant – make the dough the day before if you can, and remember that “moisture makes dough sticky – add fewer eggs.” Emily emphasizes that her “visual and tactile approach ensures consistency – she knows how many times to press each variety, etc.”

Michelin appreciated Olivia is known for its tasting menu with a la carte options, a strong focus on sustainability and sourcing local produce whenever possible – reworking recipes as they learn along the way. In fact, Chef Ty jokes that they are working on egg white cake – to further minimize waste from separating the yolks. Chef Ty explains further about the local source, “White Sonora flour comes from Dry Storage, spelt and rye flour from San Luis Valley and Longmont. Kernza flour from the Land Institute comes from Salina Kansas. We also use sweet corn from Colorado – and it’s so delicious.”

Restaurant Olivia places great importance on staff education, providing unlimited development – ​​including an annual trip to Italy – which Emily says with delight: “it was an amazing journey. I learned so much, it was amazing. Being at Restaurant Olivia was a great learning experience – I never get tired of it because I always grow with the season.”

Emily will take over as head pasta chef at RiNo’s new restaurant, Emilia, set to open in 2025.

Olivia also offers pasta-making classes – usually once a month – where guests can learn all the tips and tricks needed to make pasta at home. These classes can be private or group – more information can be found on the website – bookings are now open for October. Coming for a visit in person? Expect a change as the fall season approaches, stewed meat, pumpkin and squash – and optionally pappardelle with herbs.

Olivia Restaurant is located at 290 South Downing Street, Denver. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.