A Start-up this Energetic could be Fueled only by Complex Carbohydrates
APRIL 2011
as seen on fastcasual.com; to view full article click here
Emerging fast-casual players aim for success by emulating the highly regarded burrito brand
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011 – BY LISA JENNINGS
as seen in Restaurant News Magazine
We’ve tapped the strategies of some of the best young companies trying to get noticed by the style-makers and influencers at New York’s Fashion Week.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 – BY CHRISTINE LAGORIO
Sure, it’s glamorous. But New York Fashion Week is not all champagne fountains and elaborately coiffed models pacing the tents. Assembling all that glitz is a lot of hard work – and not just for the armies of stylists and limo drivers.
If you’re not blinded by the flashbulbs, it’s easy to see that Fashion Week can be a marketer’s daydream. It’s tastemaker central, with crowds saturated with cultural influencers: bloggers, buyers, designers, and editors. The big labels, of course, have a literal center-stage during Fashion Week, but emerging fashion, design, and beauty companies also can take advantage. So can, well, anyone. And you don’t need to take the Mercedes approach and sponsor the whole shebang.
In fact, a little humility can go a long way. In the throes of the recession last year, Fashion Week could have had an identity crisis. The industry was wounded, but it decided to rally its forces and encourage shoppers to join the fashion week party. Dubbed Fashion’s Night Out, the Friday night city-wide shopping event, which layers in-store after-hours promotions with celebrity meet-and-greets and musial events, has now spread to Los Angeles’ Rodeo Drive. Events centered around making Fashion Week accessible to average folks (well, average folks who can stimulate the fashion economy) are also being held in a handful of other cities.
We’ve consulted the experts in promotions, marketing, and events at growing companies trying to get noticed at Fashion Week. Here are some of their best tips. Read More
Three Frenchmen bring fast, healthy pasta to the masses.
BY JO PIAZZA
as seen on gotham-magazine.com
Laurent Lesort, Gregory Baratte, Nicholas Barthelemy
Back in the summer of 2009, three friends met regularly for lunch in Midtown Manhattan. During these weekly meetings, they searched for something fresh, healthy and affordable, but they never found exactly what they were looking for.
So the trio—longtime restaurateurs Laurent Lesort and Nicolas Barthelemy, and luxury retail veteran Gregory Baratte—came up with their own fastcasual dining concept. One year later, Hello Pasta is here, with leases signed and recipes perfected in the home kitchens of Lesort (chief food officer of the new company) and Barthelemy (chief operation officer). Diners find expertly cooked pastas paired with impeccable sauces for eating in or for takeout via convenient containers reminiscent of Chinese delivery cartons.
Chief marketing officer Baratte, who worked at Louis Vuitton for 10 years, the last few as senior director of e-services for LVMH, carried his experiences there into his new venture. “The lesson that I learned from Louis Vuitton was to always pay attention to quality,” he says. That attention shows. Each of Hello
Pasta’s 10 sauces is all-natural and locally sourced, with organic or low-sodium options also available. The pasta itself comes in a choice of organic, whole wheat or gluten free—and everything is under $10.
“I would never open a fast-food place and serve burgers that are disgusting,” says Lesort. “We love good food.” Read More
HELLO PASTA IS THIS SEASON’S CULINARY STAR AT M.A.C. & MILK NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 – PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK, September 1, 2010 – This year’s hot accessory at M.A.C. & Milk’s New York Fashion Week is Hello Pasta, a new model in fast casual dining. Even New York City’s fashionistas have to eat and what could be more stylish and delicious than perfectly cooked pasta with all natural sauces in the ever-chic white box with green accents.
Hello Pasta has been at the forefront of a new fast casual dining trend that is sweeping Manhattan. Their first store, located at 649 Lexington Avenue at 55th Street, has received great media and industry buzz, and 3 new locations are planned to open in coming weeks (3rd Avenue and 44th, Maiden Lane and Water Street, 38th Street and Broadway) so natch, it was the perfect fit for M.A.C. and Milk’s Fashion Week. As the official backstage caterer of M.A.C. & Milk Fashion Week from September 9, 2010 to September 16, 2010, Hello Pasta will feed models, backstage crew and fashion industry’s V.I.P.s (guests, editors, buyers and celebrities) with just the right amount of complex carbs to keep this sleek audience sated during the hectic pace of the shows.
Hello Pasta will serve two types of health-conscious, organic pastas, with a choice of Californian-made gluten-free Read More
NEW HEALTHY CHAIN RESTAURANTS ARE RESHAPING THE FAST FOOD LANDSCAPE
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2010
as seen on www.trendcentral.com
Over the past few decades, the term “fast food” has undergone a reputational decline from the nostalgia of drive-in burgers and malt shop shakes to the horrifying reality of Supersize Me and Double Downs. Until now, a quick bite might have obligated us to a not so quick hour at the gym, which is why we (and our sore legs) are applauding the opening of a new batch of healthy restaurant chains.
Hello Pasta: We’re happy to say ‘hello’ to one of the first restaurants in America that offers fresh and organic pasta to-go. Founders and longtime friends Laurent Lesort, Nicolas Barthelemy and Gregory Baratte shared a promise to one day pool their cumulative experience in hospitality and marketing to create something spectacular. Lucky for us, the resulting Hello Pasta lets its customers enjoy a fresher helping of desk-side semolina than would brown-bagging the previous night’s leftovers. This unique concept, which also has a charitable bent, allows diners to select their desired pasta shape and type,ranging from vegan to gluten-free, and then add sauce from an array of choices. Hello Pasta also offers green salads and appealing low-calorie desserts. Last month’s grand opening in New York was an absolute success, paving the way for three new locations in the city to come… Read More
HELLO, PASTA!
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010 - BY JODIGABER
I am so excited to share a new, healthy option for lunch and dinner in New York City. Please give a warm welcome to Hello Pasta. The first of four locations opened in July on Lexington Avenue between 54th and 55th Streets. This month, two more locations will open at 708 Third Avenue (at 44th Street) and 125 Maiden Lane (at Water Street). In September, look for Hello Pasta at 1400 Broadway (at 38th Street).
I recently walked by the restaurant near closing time. I was on the phone, heading to 57th Street to catch a bus and the words “gluten-free” caught my eye. In an instant, I ended my phone conversation and walked inside to pick up a menu. Then I saw more of my favorite words: organic and vegan.
HELLO PASTA OPENS WITH SPAGHETTI-LIKE LINE
You’ll recall that two fast-food–pasta chains-to-be were set to do battle on Lexington this month. Well, Laurent Lesort’s Hello Pasta, which aims to be the “Chipotle of pasta,” opened yesterday (Midtown Lunch had a first look), and as you can see in this photo, there’s quite a line outside of it today thanks to an 88-cent–pasta promotion that goes till 8 p.m. Hopefully this place has a smoother launch than the last big midtown concept, pizza in a cone. The second location opens next month at 125 Maiden Lane.
Hello Pasta, 649 Lexington, nr. 55th St.; 212-557-2782
MIDTOWN LUNCH: Your First Look at the Now Open Hello Pasta
TOO BROKE FOR LUNCH? HELLO PASTA!
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010 - BY EISELEY TAUGINAS
Laurent Lesort’s Italian fast food concept Hello Pasta is up and running on Lexington Ave. As a special incentive to try pasta on the fly, they’re offering a heaping plateful for 88 cents until 8pm tonight (with a coupon). It’s like a salad bar, but a pasta bar. Or like Chopt for carb-cravers. Even if you can’t make it tonight, it’s still well worth visiting, and there’s other free food possibilities on the horizon.
The new, speedy concept lets you choose between farfalle, conchiglie, fusilli or gluten-free penne and gives you the freedom to top ‘em with one of many sauce choices (Pomodoro, Arrabiatta, Primavera, Bolognese, Al Fungi, Salmon Tarragon, Sausage & Pea, Pesto, Tuna Provencal, Chicken Tuscan, Carbonara). Prices range from $6.95 to $12.25. A personal favorite is the Bolognese (boring but classic) with conchiglie…worth the wait. Also, pop onto their website and enter to win free pasta for a year.
YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE NOW OPEN HELLO PASTA
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 – BY AMY CAO
The day has come! The first (of many) Hello Pastas opened on Lexington btw. 54+55th this morning. As they promised, it’s kinda like the Chipotle of pasta, with a similar set-up to make for maximum ordering efficiency. You queue up, pick your pasta (choice between farfalle, conchiglie, fusilli, whole wheat fusilli, or gluten free penne), sauce, size (14 oz. “Handy” vs. 19 oz. “Handful”), and you’re out! The checkout counter also reminds me of the sweets section at every Pret A Manger counter stacked with last minute temptations in case hot pasta on a sweltering city day brings you down. For those hesitant to commit, don’t forget there’s an 8coupons deal for TOMORROW that gets you any pasta with any sauce for just 88 cents! Easy to hate aspiring empire-builders, but even 88 cent lunches are hard to resist. For those who can’t fathom eating steaming fusilli bolognese in this weather (like I am right now), they offer cold pasta salads and regular green salads too.
Check out our first taste, and the menu, after the jump… Read More
