La nostra storia
Made from scratch.
Made with love.
Our story
A love story.
And a recipe.
Tommy grew up in Pesaro, a small city on Italy's Adriatic coast. Luisa grew up in Torino, in the beautiful region of Piemonte. In every Italian home, food is more than just nourishment — it's a ritual, a way to show love, and a reason to gather. Our childhoods were filled with the scent of fresh herbs and simmering sauces, the laughter of cousins, and the sound of rolling pins on flour-dusted tables. We both spent countless afternoons helping our Nonne shape pasta, while family and neighbours shared stories around the table.
That shared love of food eventually led Tommy to a career as a chef, and later to become head chef at Ristorante Consorzio — one of Turin's most acclaimed restaurants. In 2011, we made the big decision to leave Italy and move to New Zealand. Here, we built something close to our hearts: Amaranto Pasta e Cucina, Auckland's first Italian gluten-free pasta food truck. A little slice of Italy on wheels, sharing the warmth, joy, and simplicity of Italian food with others.
Tommy e Lu
Our food
Everything handmade.
Nothing compromised.
At Amaranto, everything is made from scratch by our head chef and co-owner, Tommaso Baldassarri. With deep roots in Italian cuisine and a lifelong passion for pasta, Tommaso has poured years of experience into perfecting every detail — starting with the dough.
Our Pizzelle were created during the Covid lockdown as an ode to Luisa's childhood summers in Meta di Sorrento. Then there are our crowd favourites: arancini — crispy risotto balls with seasonal fillings — and our potato and mozzarella croquettes, golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and melty on the inside.
To finish, our homemade desserts: Tiramisù, Chocolate and Hazelnut Mousse on cocoa sponge, and Panna Cotta. Every dish reflects our love of Italian food, family traditions, and sharing simple pleasures with others.
Our pasta is truly one of a kind.
Made with a unique blend of gluten-free flours, free-range eggs from Whangaripo Valley, and plenty of time and attention, our pasta recipe took over a year to develop. The result is a pasta with the satisfying texture of traditional wheat varieties and a warm, slightly nutty flavour — completely gluten-free, and absolutely delicious. Ravioli are our heroes, but we're also big fans of the springy bite of spaghetti and the way tagliatelle wraps perfectly around a rich Bolognese ragù.
Corn flour · Rice flour · Potato starch · Tapioca · Glutinous rice flour · Coconut flour · Free-range eggs · Extra virgin olive oil
Our kitchen
Where tradition meets innovation.
Fresh, seasonal and free-range ingredients are at the base of everything we prepare. Where possible we use Italian and organic ingredients to maintain the most authentic flavour. Our recipes are a taste of family tradition with the innovation of being completely free from gluten. Our kitchen is a medley of Piemonte, Marche and Campania — the three Italian regions that have most influenced Tommy's cooking. Everything from our entrée to our desserts is homemade with love in our little caravan.
We cook exclusively with extra virgin olive oil and fry in high oleic sunflower oil — because the quality of every ingredient matters, from the flour to the fat.
Want to bring Amaranto to your event?
We cater weddings, private events and corporate functions across Auckland and Northland.