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E-mailThe Pasta Shoppe
Bernie Fertall went in to The Pasta Shoppe for lunch and came out with a new restaurant.
"I came in to eat one day," Fertall recalled. "I liked the sauce so much, I said to Darla (Morgan), 'Let me buy your business.' She said, 'You're kidding.' I told her, 'My wife has been a waitress all of her life, I want to buy her her own restaurant.'"
Before he finished lunch, they came to terms on a purchase price.
Darla stayed on several months to show Bernie and Cheri Fertall "how to run the place."
For the past 11 years, Cheri Fertall has operated The Pasta Shoppe, located at 509 Donner Ave., Monessen. But the popular deli, and restaurant has been a mainstay in downtown Monessen for more than a quarter century.
The Pasta Shoppe began across the street in a mini-mall in the former location of the G.C. Murphy store.
Original owners Nick and Velma Mozzocco sold homemade ravioli, gnocchi and sausage.
The Mozzoccos moved the business to its current location in 1984, locating it in the former Isaly's building. The Isaly's mosaic tile floor remains.
When The Pasta Shoppe moved across the street, the Mozzoccos brought the traditional Italian foods with them.
"I used to come in here as a kid to buy ice cream," Bernie Fertall said.
The Pasta Shoppe is as integrated in Monessen culture as it is in the downtown business section.
Along the walls are photographs of famous Monessen residents such as former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer and basketball standout Gina Naccarato, along with U.S. presidents John Kennedy and Harry Truman during their visits to the city.
"It has a true Monessen feel," Bernie Fertall said. "We try to keep it that way. It has a Monessen touch."
Cherri Fertall worked at The Alpine Club and La Eda's in Monessen before buying The Pasta Shoppe.
A family-run business, Cherri Fertall operates The Pasta Shoppe with daughter Holly and aunt Rita Cocco.
"I'm the maintenance guy and the gopher," said Bernie Fertall, who works at Mon Valley Hospital. "I bought the business for her; it's her business."
The business is a blend of deli and coffee shop. There is a 22-foot long counter where customers can sit, along with booths. The deli is separated from the restaurant.
There are two large televisions for customer viewing and wireless Internet sets are available.
The restaurant is a popular stop for students from Douglas Education Center who are looking for a homemade meal while they are away from home.
And the Fertalls have tried to make The Pasta Shoppe a home away from home for the students.
They held a summer beach party outside the restaurant, complete with sand on the Donner Avenue sidewalk.
Disco and reggae parties were also held and they served Thanksgiving dinner for the students. A Halloween party is planned for Friday.
Business people from town also have made The Pasta Shoppe a popular stop for lunch or dinner after work.
Some customers, though, come from as far as Pittsburgh just because they like the food.
In 2007, The Pasta Shoppe received a liquor license. Bernie Fertall said the business is not a full-fledged bar and does not try to compete with those clubs. Instead, it is the place where a customer can come to have a glass of wine with a spaghetti dinner or a beer or two with dinner.
"We always brag we have the coldest beer in town," Bernie Fertall said. "We don't try to compete with the other bars. We try to be uniquely ourselves."
The Pasta Shoppe is open six days a week, from 8 a.m. until late in the evening. It also caters weddings, showers and other small affairs, seating 60 comfortably.
Two vans make deliveries as far as Pittsburgh.
The Pasta Shoppe's secret is in the unique ethnic foods it offers.
It sells traditional ethnic food such as dried mushrooms for Slovakian cooking and grape leaves for Greek cuisine as well as Italian dry salted fish.
"We have all of the traditional foods you can't buy anywhere else," Bernie Fertall said.
He said at Christmastime, customers are lined out the door to buy Italian foods and sauce, along with Italian candies and other ethnic treats for their holiday events.
