What Is Going On With Our Food?

This summer, something happened at my little pasta house that I wasn't expecting.

People started coming up to me and telling me their stories.

And honestly?

I keep hearing the same thing.

"I don't feel well."

"I can't eat gluten anymore."

"Wheat makes me feel terrible."

"I get so bloated."

"I'm in pain."

"I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I'm working with a naturopath."

"I'm working with a wellness coach."

"I'm seeing a nurse practitioner because I know something is going on, but we haven't figured it out yet."

"I'm eliminating foods."

"I'm doing testing."

"I'm cleansing."

"I'm trying everything because I just want to feel normal again."

Different people.

Different ages.

Different stories.

But so often, the same underlying message:

Something doesn't feel right.

And every single conversation has made me ask more questions.

Anyone who knows me knows that I ask a LOT of questions.

Probably too many sometimes.

But this summer has made me even more curious.

What is happening with our food?

What is happening with the way we grow it?

Process it?

Spray it?

Store it?

Ship it?

Preserve it?

And what have we lost along the way in our race to make food faster, cheaper, longer-lasting and more convenient?

I don't pretend to have all the answers.

And I am not here to tell you that every health problem comes from food.

It doesn't.

Bodies are complicated. Health is complicated. Every person is different.

But I do believe we should be allowed to ask questions about the food we eat every single day.

Because food matters. Food is our medicine.

And maybe, just maybe, we need to start looking backwards sometimes in order to move forward.

The more I grow Pastorey Pasta, the more I learn.

Every day I learn more about grains.

About sprouting.

About fermentation.

About sourdough.

About long, slow drying.

And the more I learn, the more passionate I become about doing things differently.

Because somewhere along the way, our food system became very focused on one thing:

How fast can we make it?

How much can we produce?

How quickly can we dry it?

How long can we make it sit on a shelf?

How can we make more?

Sell more?

Ship farther?

What if we asked different questions?

What if we asked:

How was food traditionally prepared?

What did our ancestors do before food became an industrial process?

What happens when we slow down?

This is where the heart of Pastorey Pasta really lives.

Pastorey Pasta is not about rushing.

It's about slow.

Long.

Small batch.

Intentional.

It's about taking traditional methods and asking how we can bring them back into modern life.

Because I understand something else too.

We are busy.

We need convenience.

We need food that fits into real life.

So my goal isn't to tell everyone to spend three days in the kitchen making everything from scratch.

My goal is to create a convenient food that has been made with more thought before it ever reaches your kitchen.

One of the things I have become incredibly passionate about is grain diversity.

We weren't meant to eat the exact same food over and over again.

Different grains bring different nutritional qualities to the table.

That's why I use multiple grains throughout my pasta varieties.

Across my Pastorey Pasta collection, I use five different grains in my nine varieties.

My hope is to encourage people to experience more diversity in the foods they eat.

Ancient grains are generally described as grains that have remained largely unchanged over hundreds of years. Grains such as einkorn, emmer, spelt, khorasan and others all have their own unique nutritional characteristics. And one of the most important messages from whole-grain research is simple: variety matters.

I'm not interested in declaring one grain the magical winner.

I'm interested in bringing variety back to the table.

Then We Sprout

This is where things get really interesting to me.

A grain is a seed.

And when that seed begins to sprout, it starts preparing for life.

Enzymatic activity changes. Components within the grain begin changing. Research has found that sprouting can reduce compounds such as phytate and can influence nutrient availability and digestibility, although the exact changes depend heavily on the grain and the sprouting conditions.

That is why I am so fascinated by the process.

Sprouting isn't a magic trick.

And I'm not going to tell you that sprouting makes every grain perfect for every person.

But it is a traditional process that changes the grain—and one that I believe deserves more attention in modern food.

Then Comes the Sourdough

After sprouting, fermentation becomes another part of the Pastorey process.

Sourdough is one of those old-world traditions that fascinates me because it reminds us that food preparation used to take time.

Real time.

Researchers have found that sourdough fermentation can influence things such as protein and starch digestion, mineral bioavailability and other nutritional characteristics. The exact effects depend on the ingredients, microorganisms and fermentation process used.

Fermentation is complex.

And that's exactly why I love it.

Nature is doing what nature has done for generations.

Slowly transforming food.

And Then We Wait Again

One of the things I refuse to rush is the drying process.

Pastorey Pasta is naturally air dried.

Slowly.

Because once again, I keep coming back to the same question:

Why are we always in such a hurry?

I could use faster processes.

I could focus only on producing as much as possible.

But that isn't what Pastorey Pasta is about.

Pastorey is about integrity.

Goodness.

Tradition.

Community.

And creating food that I can feel proud to put my name on.

Why Add Functional Superfoods?

There is another piece of this journey that is deeply personal to me.

I used to be what I jokingly call a supplement hog.

I had bottles.

Powders.

Capsules.

You name it.

And let me tell you—supplements can get expensive!

Over time, I started asking another question:

What if we focused more on putting nourishing ingredients into our actual food?

Now, I want to be clear: supplements absolutely have a place, and some people genuinely need them for specific nutritional reasons. But food is still an incredibly important way to get nutrients.

"Superfood" is not an official scientific category, and no single food can do everything for us. But the term is commonly used for nutrient-dense foods that can contribute beneficial vitamins, minerals, fibre and plant compounds to an overall healthy diet.

That's why I started experimenting.

Vegetable powders.

Mushroom powders.

Turmeric.

Seaweed.

Berries.

Roots.

Functional ingredients that could add something interesting and nourishing to an everyday meal.

Because what if pasta could be more than just pasta?

What if dinner could be convenient and thoughtful?

What if the foods we already eat could become an opportunity to add more variety to our plates?

That's what I am exploring with Pastorey Pasta.

So... Is Pastorey Pasta the Solution?

Oh, how I would love to stand here and yell:

YES!

THIS IS THE ANSWER!

But that wouldn't be honest.

Pastorey Pasta is not a cure.

It is not a treatment.

It is not designed to diagnose or solve unexplained digestive problems.

And I would never tell someone with celiac disease, a wheat allergy or another medically diagnosed condition to ignore the advice of their healthcare provider.

But do I believe Pastorey Pasta is a strong start?

Yes. I really do.

I believe we need more conversations about our food.

I believe we need to care about ingredients.

I believe we need to ask where our food comes from.

How it was grown.

How it was processed.

And whether there are traditional methods we left behind that are worth revisiting.

I believe convenience and integrity can exist in the same package.

And I believe food should be made with intention.

My dream isn't to convince you that one box of pasta will change your life.

My dream is much bigger than that.

I want Pastorey Pasta to be part of a movement back toward asking questions.

Back toward knowing our food.

Back toward real ingredients.

Back toward traditional methods.

Back toward sitting around the table.

Back toward community.

And honestly?

I think the conversations happening at my little pasta house this summer are telling me something.

People are paying attention.

People are asking questions.

People want to feel better.

They want to understand their food.

And so do I.

I don't have all the answers.

But I promise to keep asking the questions.

I'll keep learning.

I'll keep researching.

I'll keep experimenting.

And I'll keep doing my best to make a pasta that is rooted in tradition, made with integrity and created with the hope of bringing something a little more nourishing back to the table.

Because maybe the answer isn't always to make food faster.

Maybe sometimes...

the answer is to slow down.

Welcome back to the table.

— Angela
Pastorey Pasta

Want to Learn More?

One of the things I love most about building Pastorey Pasta is that I am constantly learning.

I don't expect you to simply take my word for it. I encourage you to ask questions too. Read. Research. Learn about your food. And decide what feels right for you and your family.

Here are a few resources that helped me explore some of the topics behind the Pastorey Pasta process:

Ancient Grains & Grain Diversity
The Whole Grains Council explores ancient grains and explains why different grains each bring something unique to the table.
https://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/whats-whole-grain/ancient-grains?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Sprouting Grains
Harvard Health takes a closer look at what happens when grains sprout and how sprouting can change the nutritional characteristics of a grain.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34401108/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Fermented Foods & Gut Health
Johns Hopkins Medicine discusses the role that fiber-rich and fermented foods can play as part of an overall approach to digestive health.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/your-digestive-system-5-ways-to-support-gut-health?utm_source=chatgpt.com

What Does "Superfood" Really Mean?
Cleveland Clinic explains the popular term "superfood" and why nutrient-dense whole foods can be an important part of an overall healthy eating pattern.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-a-superfood?slug=what-is-a-superfood%2F&utm_source=chatgpt.com

One Important Note About Gluten

Pastorey Pasta is made with grains that contain gluten unless a specific product is clearly labeled otherwise. Sprouting and sourdough fermentation are traditional preparation methods, but they do not automatically make a wheat-based product gluten-free.

If you have celiac disease, a wheat allergy or a diagnosed medical condition, please speak with your healthcare provider about what foods are appropriate for you.

My goal has never been to promise that one food is the answer for everyone.

My goal is to keep learning, keep asking questions and continue creating food with integrity, tradition and intention.