St. Louis Chef Gerard Craft Bringing His Pastaria Concept to Nashville

A prominent St. Louis chef, Gerard Craft, is bringing the second outpost of his Pastaria restaurant to Nashville. Pastaria is described as "an approachable Italian concept draws inspiration from the pasta factories and lively osterias" that Craft has experienced in travels to Italy.

Craft, who won Best Chef-Midwest at this year's James Beard Awards, has five restaurants in St. Louis with his company, Niche Food Group. The new Pastaria will open in Nashville's oneC1TY, a mixed-use development that's in the works at the intersection of Charlotte Avenue and the 28th/31st Avenue Connector, near Centennial Park.

(Avo, the raw vegan restaurant that has made a splash since opening this summer, is also in oneC1TY.)

“It’s no surprise that Nashville has been on our radar for a while,” Craft says in a release today. “It’s a city that shares a lot of the same values as St. Louis. We knew that if we were going to expand beyond St. Louis that it needed to feel right, and we feel that Pastaria now has a place to call home in Nashville.”

"Pastaria’s menu features soups, salads, and appetizers, organic pastas, Neapolitan-style pizzas, wood oven entrées, and of course, gelato," the company says.

"The pasta dishes celebrate tradition with favorites such as the Canestri Cacio y Pepe with Pecorino and Grana Padano cheese and black pepper and the Strozzaprette with 'Pastaria Bolognese' and Grana Padano."

The gelato, which will be overseen by pastry chef Anne Croy, will feature more than 120 flavors in rotation.