Mike Easton closes Pizzeria Gabbiano, reopening as Il Corvo Pasta Studio

New retail shop will focus on Easton's pastas a la James Beard-nominated Il Corvo

By Seattle Mag March 22, 2016

A pizza with mushrooms and arugula on top.

James Beard-nominated chef and restaurateur Mike Easton has confirmed rumors surrounding the closure of his much-loved Roman-style pizza spot, Pizzeria Gabbiano, in Pioneer Square. Less than two years after its debut, Pizzeria Gabbiano is closing due to lack of profitability, Easton says, and will reopen as Il Corvo Pasta Studio in May.

“We had plans to do a pasta place years before Gabbiano became a thought,” Easton said over the phone. “And even as busy as we were for those few hours everyday, it wasn’t enough to make it a sustainable business.”

But, because Easton loves the space and has always wanted to open a retail companion to his other wildly-popular lunch spot, Il Corvo in Pioneer Sqaure (for which he earned the nomination for the James Beard Award Best Chef Northwest), he’s keeping the space and reinventing it as a pasta studio. Take note – this is not a restaurant; there will be no menu. Just pastas and raviolis handmade in-house by Easton, who will be there everyday, plus sauces, condiments, olive oils and wines for sale. He’ll even have a fancy Italian pasta drying cabinet.

Down the road, he hopes to use the space for occasional demonstrations accompanied by lunch.

“They’ll be cooking classes for people who don’t like to get too dirty,” he says.

For those of us wondering where we’ll get our fix for seasonal, fluffy, inspired Roman-style pizza, Easton says: “I suppose I could be coerced into publishing a tutorial on how to make your own Roman-style pizza.”

Hmmm. A cookbook, perhaps? Stay tuned.

 

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