I enjoy featuring entrepreneurs because they are positive, enthusiastic, and they like what they do for a living. The latest entrepreneur I discovered is chef/owner Marco Pacelli. He owns and operates a new pasta shop in Redondo Beach named Fatto a Mano, translated to English, made by hand.
Fatto a Mano is located in a strip mall on Torrance Blvd near Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach. The location was previously home to Pie Pie Pie and The Slice, both were restaurants that featured pizzas.
Pacelli greets every guest with excitement and warmth. He is eager to get to know you and he asks you for your name as you arrive. Once your order is taken, Pacelli will let you know how long you can expect to wait before your order is ready. The day that we were there, he was the only one: answering the phones, taking orders, preparing the food and serving it.
Because Fatto a Mano is set up as a fast-casual restaurant, the perception is that this is a fast food Italian restaurant. While the fresh pasta has been prepared in advance, each pasta dish is assembled and cooked to order. Pretty much the items prepared in advance is their pasta and their pasta sauces.
Ghocchi with pesto 
Ghocchi with tomato sauce
Their pasta is made onsite each day. The potato gnocchi is made from Petra flour and is gluten-free. Pacelli explained that it took them three months to create their gnocchi because initial versions simply dissolved in the water. They modified the ingredients to create gnocchi that is both soft and moist. We tried the gnocchi with both the pesto and fresh tomato sauce. Pacelli gave us some grated pecorino de romano which nicely enhanced the tomato sauce.
Their bolognese sauce is made using San Marzano whole tomatoes, guanciale, beef and pork, and slow cooked in a stockpot with the lid on for 24 hours at 200 degrees. The result is a flavorful and smoky sauce due to meat flavors melding into the sauce. The sauce combined with the silky soft pappardelle was a culinary delight.
Other pasta sauces available include a cacio e pepe cheese and a zucchini with prawns sauce. Pacelli’s Aunt Concettina created these sauces and taught him about traditional Italian cooking.
Some dishes like lasagne and eggplant parmesan require a lot of prep and are baked in the oven. Because of that certain dishes prepared in advance and reheated. Their eggplant parmesan consists of seven thin layers of eggplant. The tomato sauce was hearty and delicious and I appreciated that melted cheese didn’t dominate the dish.
Crostata alla nutella
Caffè Vergnano espresso
We shared a crostata alla nutella with a Caffè Vergnano espresso. Pacelli proudly stated that the only other place serving this Italian espresso is Eataly in Century City. The smooth blend had a chocolatey aroma and paired nicely with the crostata.
Fatto a Mano also serves Roma style pizza. They use Petra whole wheat Italian flour and age it for 72 hours. The rectangular shaped pizza is sliced into 4 generous servings. Unfortunately, the day we were there, the pizza oven was on the fritz.
Fatto a Mano is best described as a European style cafe where people come to enjoy their food over good conversation. Food is prepared for quality and not for speed and people take their time enjoying the food and not wolfing it down. If you are impatient or in a hurry, my recommendation is that you call ahead and let them know what time you would like to pick up your order.
Fatto a Mano, 610 Torrance Blvd, Redondo Beach, CA 90277; 310.316.5111
pastashoprb.com