Fast casual pasta chain Due' Cucina recently raised $2.5 million in a new financing round. Davide Macchi, co-founder and CEO of Due Cucina, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's operations and what lies ahead.

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Due' Cucina Aims to Offer Gourmet Pasta at Affordable Price

I hope you're hungry, fast casual pasta chain Cucina raising 2.5 million in a new round Cucina billing itself as a casual Gourmet Italian restaurant that serves fresh handmade pasta dishes, appetizers and desserts. Uh, currently has three locations in residential neighborhoods across Seattle and the startup says its mission is to serve fresh authentic Italian gourmet pasta dishes at an affordable price. We all want our bellies full and we don't want to break the bank either. So it's great. Joining me now is the co founder and CEO of De Cocina Davide Maki Davide. Thank you so much for coming on the show just around the lunch hour. Looks like there's a restaurant behind you. It's great to have you on the show here. Explain to me in your words, what you're building out. Absolutely. And thank you for having me. I love the opportunity to talk about pasta, which is what I love. And here I am in our fourth location, we opened up just a couple of days ago. And so, uh, now we have four units here in the Seattle area and into, in terms of what we do. Our mission is really to take authentic regional Italian pasta, the kind of pasta that you, that you experience when you, when you go to Italy in your animal, for example, or for, for, you know, for your graduation trend. And you discovered that amazing pasta, we're gonna take that regional, authentic homemade pasta and bring it in an environment in which you can have it every day and suddenly becomes an option. Oftentimes we see David, let me ask you, what gives it that authenticity? Is it the homemade nature of the pasta? Is it the sauce? How do people feel like they are getting a true authentic experience if they come to one of your restaurants? Absolutely. Well, we make all of our pasta now that we make all of our sources. Now everything is made ruthlessly from scratch. We are in that kitchen and we, and that's part of Italian tradition to make everything from scratch when a customer walks in, in our store, the first thing they see while the order of the chaos, they see our pasta lab. And so the experience, you know, by watching pasta being made that the pasta is really fresh and authentic. And then of course, when they sit down and when they get their food and they eat it, they also discovered that whoa, these sources are really, uh, exactly the same as I had the room when I went on the trip five years ago. Does it come with wine on this side is the and an additional offering that you can add. Yes. How could it be a not pasta as to come with wine? We do. Uh despite being fast casual, we really pride at being fine casual and offering a little bit more of an elevated experience. You know, our, our dinnerware, our calorie and of course, as more created wine list with terrific Italian wines, of course, it's something that is part of the experience here. Well, look, the pasta looks amazing. We're showing all sorts of images Davide. And I think for 12, 13, 14 bucks, this is something that could be a real treat for people. What are the expansion plans we mentioned? You have a place in Seattle, but are you planning to expand in other locations? Absolutely. We are currently our Seattle. Our group plan in Seattle. Our group plan is to continue in Seattle. But of course, we just raise $2.5 million from Makai Restaurant Group, which I want to thank because they've been truly wonderful partners so far with those $2.5 million we will open up three units in taxes. This will be our first proof of concept outside of Washington State's. Uh The idea is to do this within the next year and a half, two years maximum. Uh If we can prove they were successful in Texas at the point, we will raise a series a and we'll try to actually accelerate expansion and develop this in a more original. And then soon after a national concept, David might be my favorite segment of the day, especially as we head into the weekend on this Friday. The food looks delicioso. Thank you so much. And David Mackey, co founder and Ceo de Cocina.