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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, JULY 26, 2020
New pasta restaurant opens in Park Slope
Brooklynites hold vigil for
COVID-19 victims in Gravesend
A Gravesend vigil honoring coronavirus victims drew about 100 mourners
on July 18. Reyna Gobel
BY ROSE ADAMS
Mourners gathered in Gravesend
on July 19 for a vigil
honoring locals who have
been lost to COVID-19.
The interfaith event —
held outside the Church of
Saints Simon and Jude on
Van Sicklen Street by Avenue
T — drew more than 100 community
members who lit candles,
said prayers, and spoke
in honor of their lost friends
and family members.
The vigil, which was organized
by District 47 Council
candidate Steven Patzer,
particularly honored local
shop owner Joseph Sanfratello,
known as Joe Pisa, who
owned the Pisa Pork Store
in Gravesend. Several generations
of Sanfratello’s family
paid their respects to the
venerated local who died of
the novel coronavirus, and
donned shirts that said, “In
memory of Joe Pisa” at the
event.
A rabbi, a pastor, and an
imam led prayers and spoke
to the grieving families at the
event, and shared their faith’s
perspectives on grief. After
the event, one leader said that
all faiths must come together
to heel as southern Brooklyn
reels from the virus.
“We have many differences,
but we can all agree
on one reality. And that is,
death,” said Iman Adnan Uddin.
“It is unity and faith in
God that can assist us in overcoming
the hard times we are
in. I was proud to stand with
a diverse group of leaders
bringing our community together.”
Nearly 5,033 people in
Brooklyn have died from the
virus as of July 21, according
to state data — the second
highest number of fatalities
in any county in the state after
Queens.
Patzer plans to hold another
vigil for coronavirus
victims in Coney Island on
Sunday, July 26 at 6:30 pm in
the parking lot of the Coney
Island Memorial Chapel at
2009 Mermaid Avenue by W.
20th Street.
BENVENUTO! Alison Arevalo in front of Pasta Louise on Eighth Avenue. Photo by Ben Verde
Mourning, from
a distance
Joseph “Joe Pisa” Sanfratello.
Reyna Gobel
BY BEN VERDE
It’s the noodle kid on the block!
A new Park Slope pasta shop
will open its doors on Monday, offering
an unpretentious dining
experience for the family-heavy
neighborhood, said the new owner
of Pasta Louise on Eighth Avenue
and Eighth Street.
“There’s a lot of good Italian
around here, but it’s kind of dim, a
little more upscale. I don’t exactly
feel comfortable bringing my boys
there,” said restaurateur Allison
Arevalo. “It’s going to be really
good food for grown-ups, and for
kids.”
Pasta Louise, named in honor of
Arevalo’s grandmother, will offer a
full menu of various fresh “California
Italian” style pasta shapes with
different sauces — such as roasted
red peppers, and mushrooms with
herbs. True to its kid-friendly form,
the menu will also feature a number
of after-dinner sweet treats,
like soft serve ice cream and iced
hot chocolate.
The eatery will open for a soft
opening during its fi rst two weeks
of business, offering only takeout
and delivery — before rolling out
outdoor seating for their offi cial
grand opening.
Arevalo, a native New Yorker,
previously operated a mac n’
cheese-only restaurant in Oakland,
California for years, before selling
it and moving back to Brooklyn.
“Mac n’ cheese, I don’t think
was my true calling,” she said.
With Pasta Louise she hopes
to channel the Italian cooking
she grew up around in an Italian
household.
“I get to be around the food that I
truly love,” she said. “It’s a lot more
of my family cooking.”
Arevalo says she envisions the
pasta shop — in a storefront that
used to house a pharmacy — serving
as a hub for the neighborhood,
where locals can feel comfortable
bringing their youngsters, or stopping
in after work for a casual
meal.
“I want it to be a staple in the
neighborhood,” she said.
To foster a community space,
the restaurant already has several
community-building initiatives
planned, including a scholarship
for kids who have lost parents to
cancer, business mentorships for
local youngsters, and pasta making
classes.
“I’m really hoping that this spot
becomes a place that really gives
back to Brooklyn, and that people
will be excited to be a part of,” Arevalo
said.
Pasta Louise, 803 Eighth Avenue
at 8th Street in Park Slope.
www.pastalouise.com Soft opening
July 27.
/www.pastalouise.com
/www.pastalouise.com