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Healthy Slice: Whole-Wheat Pasta
By Jim Dees • Managing Editor
According to The Whole Grains Council,
a San Diego-based, nonprofi t, consumer
advocacy group that tracks dining
trends, nearly 10 times as many new
whole grain products were introduced in
2006 as in the year 2000. An A.C. Nielsen
study further reported a 20% increase in
the sale of whole-wheat pasta last year
over 2006. Pizzeria operators have taken
notice, and one, Uno Chicago Grill (www.unos.com), has recently garnered the No.1
spot on Health magazine’s list of healthiest
chain restaurants for its multi-grain
pastas, lower-calorie fl atbread pizzas and
gluten-free options.
Mama’s Café Baci,
Hackettstown, NJ
Tom Schiano has been in the pizza
business for 38 years and currently owns
Mama’s Café Baci in Hackettstown, New
Jersey (www.mamascafebaci.com). His
restaurant has slowly added gluten-free and
low carb items over the years and Schiano
says his business has taken a unique tact
in converting patrons to healthy options
such as whole-wheat pasta.
“Fads come and go,” he says. “We’ve
just taken foods that our customers enjoy
such as pizza and eggplant, and prepare
them in a healthier way, with a wholewheat
crust on the pizza, or by preparing
the eggplant without batter. Any dish or
food can be healthy if it’s prepared with
that in mind. We call it ‘smart eating.’”
“The average individual wants to eat
smart, and they want to eat healthy. At
the same time, when you go out to eat at
a restaurant, you don’t want your food to
be boring. As restaurateurs, it’s our challenge
to create dishes that are healthy
but also fun and tasty.” That key word,
“tasty,” has been lacking, at times, in
whole-wheat pasta. Customers have been
known to complain that whole-wheat
pasta can have a, well, grainy taste, if the
texture of the noodles is coarse. “There
are little tricks you can
use to offset that,” Schiano
points out. “Try mixing
some whole wheat
with regular pasta and
increase your vegetables
and sauce. You can also
look for different shapes
instead of spaghetti;
sometimes penne or fusilli
have a better texture.”
The good news is, pasta
manufacturers have been
working hard to improve
the taste and texture of
whole-wheat pasta over
the past several years and
have made great strides.
Healthier dishes can cost more due to
ingredients and take longer to prepare, but
Schiano says his customers are unfazed.
“Yes, premium ingredients tend to cost
more,” he acknowledges, “but consumers
are used to that.
For Schiano, the health trend is only
the tip of the iceberg lettuce. “Our customers
have been asking for organic
items, so I think our next step in the
healthy eating area will be to offer organic
salads,” he says. While encouraging the
health trend, Schiano also encourages
operators to keep one simple dictum in
mind. “Make it healthy, but keep it fun
and never boring.”
Village Pizzeria and Ristorante,
East Galway, NY
Whole-wheat pasta has made its way
onto the extensive menu at the Village
Pizzeria and Ristorante in East Galway,
New York (www.villagepizzeria.com),
and owner Sandy Foster is proud of one
dish in particular. “Our Penne Tuscano is
made with whole-wheat pasta and tossed
with roasted fennel, spinach, tomatoes,
goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil and basil.
I came up with the dish myself one
day just playing around with ingredients
in the kitchen,” she recalls.
There’s something else on the menu
that Foster is not necessarily proud of
but concedes is necessary. “We charge
two dollars extra for any whole-wheat
pasta dish,” she says. “We make all of our
pasta ourselves and it is very labor intensive.
The whole-wheat costs more and
takes longer to prepare, so we add the extra
charge.” Foster says the added price
hasn’t hampered sales.
“Whole-wheat has defi nitely come into
its own over the last couple of years,” reports
this 20-year food industry veteran.
“It’s an acquired taste for some people
but we’re selling more and more of it. The
healthy eating trend is part of it, but you
also have some people who order it because
their doctors have recommended it
to benefi t their heart or blood sugar.”
Foster says she’s noticed that wholewheat
pasta tends to sell more during
the spring and summer months. “I guess
people try to eat healthier during warm
weather; maybe they’re worried about
fi tting into their bathing suits,” she says
with a laugh.