Lots has happened since Viola's Pantry has closed the doors to our shop in Wichita, KS. For those new here, or those who just want a refresher on who we are, how we got started, and what we are doing next, keep reading!
For the last 13 years, my husband was flying for the United States Air Force, which was what brought us to Wichita, KS (McConnell Air Force Base). Never in my life did I think after living all over the world and in some of the United States' biggest cities that I would ever be living in Kansas... but alas, that is where fate took us in the summer of 2019.
The Start of Viola's Pantry
In March of 2020, when the world stopped because of the pandemic, I lost all my clients for my tiny brand new marketing firm for restaurants. My lifelong passion for cooking turned into a compulsive neuroses in the early months of the pandemic-- I dusted off my Grandma Vi's 100 year-old hand-cranked pasta maker and started making pasta (although I realized about three batches of pasta dough in that the machine was actually broken). I had balls of different doughs all over the house- 00 flour and eggs, all purpose flour and eggs, semolina and eggs, semolina and water, then 00, semolina, and eggs, and the list goes on. Y'all- there was so. much. pasta. At that same time, my good friend was telling me about how she was overwhelmed with home schooling, working from home, parenting, and then was exhausted at the thought of coming home to cook, and would pay someone to cook for her family.... and I was like "um- I literally just want to cook right now". So I started making her family food, then some of my neighbors, then other people in the neighborhood, until I got to a point where I thought "hm... is this legal?" It wasn't... so I got myself a commercial kitchen, renting space from a coffee shop in their off hours. I was making handmade pastas, sauces, take-n-bakes, focaccia, and other authentic Italian specialties. Within a year, I was ready for my own kitchen, and the perfect space opened up.
Enter Cleveland Corner in November 2021, an incredible community where I shared space with The Workroom by Janelle King and Grow Giesen Plant Shop by Heather Giesen- two incredible concepts run by two inspiring women. Viola's Pantry was a neighborhood corner store where you could find handmade fresh pastas, from-scratch sauces, homemade desserts like biscotti, tiramisu, panna cotta, and more. We also had a full market attached where you could find imported specialties from Italy- from olive oils and wines to dried pastas and cookies. It was really a magical time and felt like my grandmother really played a part in finding the perfect first home for Viola's Pantry.
Every good thing comes to an end, and the end for our Wichita location came 12/31/2023. Earlier that year my husband completed his commitment with the Air Force, and received an incredible opportunity to move to Phoenix. He moved in May, and I was going back and forth between Wichita and Phoenix until August. Oh, and did I mention we were pregnant?! It was a tough season for our family trying to manage a big move, while pregnant, running a business with terrible morning (all day) sickness and remote more than half the time, and being apart. Come Fall, we were starting to come to the unfortunate realization that we couldn't run the business how we wanted to far away, and still have the family life that we want to have...
By Christmas we were home with our sweet baby girl, Olivia, nicknamed "Vi" after my grandma. I wish I had a photo, but I announced our closure while I was in labor at the hospital!
On 12/31/23 we had our last day in business at our cute little corner market. By the end of January, our family- Vi included- came to the store to clear it out and move it to Phoenix.
Flash forward to where we are now- Viola's is officially unpacked in Phoenix in our Casita, so I can run most of the company from home with our family's new addition. I had ambitions of doing what I was doing in Wichita with making fresh pasta weekly, but as any new parent knows, parenthood is humbling... What I thought I would be able to accomplish in three months postpartum I've accomplished in 7 months postpartum. I thought I would be ready to sell pasta, do markets, pop-ups, sell online, and offer cooking classes by now, but I'm realizing that's not going to be realistic for this phase of life-- I need to scale back and scale up when it's that phase of life!
So what can you expect from the next edition of Viola's Pantry?
I want to focus on my favorite part of my business, which is cooking classes. I have been fortunate enough to find a fabulous school in Scottsdale to teach in-person classes, and will be focusing on private classes both in your home and online. I will also offer some public online classes, including some for free to make them accessible to everyone!
I will also be doing the occasional local pop-up and market, and in the near future will have our online store with Italian imports up and running again. You can also come to our social media to find cooking videos, and our blog for bold, flavorful, fresh and easy Italian recipes.
We have big plans for VP, and look forward to being back in full swing in the next couple of years. Thank you so much to everyone who has been along for this ride and supported me through it all! We'd be nothing without you.
Peace, love, and pasta,
Kristina
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