Eve Jeffery
What happens when you take a cup each of Italy, Holland and Canada, and add a pinch of Berlin? You get flavour filled pasta in Byron Bay!
With Italian and Dutch heritage behind him, Daniele Trimarchi is the chef at the Pasta Bowl at the Byron Bay Golf Club, with his German-born partner, Emily Witzel.
Danny has been cooking Italian food for 35 years. ‘My passion comes from my heritage. I was raised on a market garden farm in South Australia,’ he says.
Trimarchi has also cooked his way across the globe, adding to his broad spectrum of flavours. ‘I worked for the Roux brothers in London, and at Icebergs and Fratelli Paradiso in Sydney, to name a few. It has been a lifetime dream to own an Italian restaurant in Byron Bay.’
Danny says he wants to bring back the fun in food. ‘I want to make wholesome, real food – the honest food that we all love so much.’
The Pasta Bowl sources local and organic products where possible, and he likes to push the vegan agenda, so there are lots of vegan options on the menu, with his Vegan Bolognese a huge hit.
Why pasta? ‘Life is boring without pasta,’ says Danny. ‘Everybody loves it!’
But there are also other great Italian favourites on the menu if, for some crazy reason, pasta isn’t your thing; with popular specials including handmade gnocchi and arancini.
Danny says they opened pre-COVID and were lucky to build a strong local following in a short time, so reopening the Pasta Bowl has been a huge success.
The Pasta Bowl does catering of all sizes, nothing is too big or too small – they do bespoke catering, events and weddings, with everything you need in the beautiful venue, overlooking the gorgeous Byron Bay Golf Club. Danny also has plans to start cooking classes in the near future.
Danny says the thing he loves most on the menu is the orecchetti gamberi – prawns, zucchini and a light tomato broth with basil and parsley.
Pina, who has been in the food industry her whole life, and has been trained in fine dining, says her favourite dish is the fettuccine pesto genovese – pesto, potato and green beans, and house made vegan parmesan.
But wait! Their crumble is to die for, with a great vegan option as well.
The team at the Pasta Bowl is an extended-family business with sous chef Jerome Dionne, from Quebec in Canada, who also has a background in fine dining.
‘We always have lots of fun working together, and I think people can taste the love in our dishes,’ says Danny.
‘There is lots of space for large groups and families here, and plenty for the kids to entertain themselves, overlooking the beautiful landscape of the Golf Club – what could be more perfect?’
The Pasta Bowl is open evenings, from 5pm, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 12–7pm for long lunches and high tea on Sundays, offering fresh baked scones with house made jam and cream.
You can find the Pasta Bowl here or phone: 6685 6470.
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