Sick of th e sam e old store-bou ght spagh etti? Pasta pro and new Spoonbar ch ef Patrick Van Voorhis sha res his s ecrets to ma king th ese quality noodles – plus, how to dress th e dish es – that would ma ke anyone’s Italian grandmoth er proud. WORDS BY LEILANI CLARK, PHOTOS BY RODEO & CO. PHOTOGRAPHY (CHEFS) COURTESY OF SPOONBAR A sk Chef Patrick Van Voorhis if he plans to potentially implement a pasta program at Spoonbar – h2’s imagina- tive farm-fresh restaurant that he and his chef wife, Casey, recently took the helm of in early 2016 – and he instantly softens, kind of like a noodle. “Patrick loves pasta,” Casey cuts in for her lovestruck husband and co-executive chef (the two also oversee the hotel’s PizZando restaurant). “Maybe more than me?” Patrick’s passion for pasta started young, with large pots of sauce and noodles bubbling on his grandmother’s stove in Upstate New York. “Sometimes, I feel like [the old way] is the best way,” Patrick says. “I can’t learn how to make something new until I learn the way that it used to be made – the way my grandmother made it. The flavor, those techniques that have been going on for so long – you can’t find them anywhere else.” But pasta can be a tricky muse to mas- ter, especially when you’re making your own from scratch. Guided by a Michelin- star background in refined Italian cuisine with a California touch, Patrick teases out tips to keep top of mind if making your own pasta at home, as well to take the overall dish up a notch. About Spoonbar’s New Executive Ch efs CASEY VAN VOORHIS PATRICK VAN VOORHIS Patrick spent his childhood Sundays acting as sous chef for his Italian grandmother, where he helped prepare weekly family feasts. After receiving his education at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park (where he met wife Casey), he went on to cook for San Francisco establishments, such as Quince, Cotogna, and the Michelin-starred Acquerello restaurant (where he held the title of executive sous chef). When he’s not in the kitchen, he’s hiking, swimming, and working out – to complement his love of eating, of course. Casey initially pursued a degree in aerospace engineering, but after a handful of particularly exhausting days of computer programming and calculus, she decided to chase her culinary passion and enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. She has since done internships at New Orleans’s August restaurant and Yountville’s Bouchon, worked at San Francisco’s Quince and Cotogna restaurants (alongside her husband), as well as spent time as a bread baker. When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s foraging for wild greens, cycling, and spending time with her cat, Maleficent. HHh2 MAGAZINE 2016–17