• HOME
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • simple
    • meal planning
    • pantry
    • the basics
    • Air Fry
    • Pressure Cook
    • Slow Cook
  • joyful
    • hospitality
    • have a good time
    • foodie finds
  • food
    • appetizer
    • beef
    • chicken
    • dessert
    • drink
    • fish
    • lamb
    • salad
    • soup
    • starch
    • vegetable
  • NWAFOODIE
  • CONTACT
Simple Joyful Food

Eat happily

NWAFOODIE

Meet Lucius and Alison Mhoon, owners of Pozza’s Pasta.

July 24, 2017 Leave a Comment
Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - main (c)nwafoodie

You thought their last name was going to be Pozza, didn’t you?

In the summer of 2005, Lucius and Alison Mhoon purchased Pozza’s Pasta from Mr. Felix Pozza of Tonitown. Mr. Pozza was a businessman and grocer in Tontitown, Arkansas, who started selling Pozza’s Pasta in 1971. The handmade Italian pasta actually has over 100 years of tradition and whether you realize it or not, it is an icon in Northwest Arkansas.

The Mhoon’s background in Italian pasta is solid. The great aunt of Lucius owned the Venesian Inn in Tontitown after her father left it to her. His mother is Susan of Susan’s Restaurant in Springdale, a charming diner that has welcomed locals and travelers for decades. Lucius runs the daily operations at Susan’s restaurant and his known far and wide for greeting guests with a friendly smile and engaging conversation.

Since the inception of Susan’s Restaurant, Mr. Pozza was their only pasta supplier. When Lucius found out that they couldn’t get the noodles any longer because Mr. Pozza closed his business, he and his wife thought they would just buy the equipment and make their own noodles. After looking into it, they realized the whole company was for sale. So, they purchased it in 2005 and kept the name and the handmade tradition alive.

The pasta is made with the EXACT same recipe and handmade in the same fashion Lucius’s ancestors used when they came to America from Italy. There are just two ingredients: all-purpose flour and whole fresh eggs. Their hand-cut noodles are flat, not tubular, so they absorb sauce. Every bite is delicious.

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 1 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 2 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 3 (c)nwafoodie

Wednesday and Thursday’s are production days at their off-site kitchen just blocks away from the restaurant. They produce from 6:00am to 2:00pm, starting with the dough making first thing, running the dough through the roller, cutting, and hanging it to dry. It takes about twenty-four hours for the entire process.

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 5 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 6 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 7 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 8 (c)nwafoodie

You’ll often find Lucius, Alison, and workers from the restaurant working on these days producing enough pasta for Susan’s Restaurant, Guido’s Pizza, and Bariola’s Pizza. You can also purchase their pasta at Blackboard Grocery and Eatery, all Harp’s and Price Cutter Stores in Northwest Arkansas, Allen’s market in Bella Vista, and Dimes Meat Market in Springdale. For my out-of-towners, yes, yes you can purchase Pozza’s Pasta online.

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 4 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 9 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 10 (c)nwafoodie

 Pozza's Pasta Lucius and Alison Mhoon - #northwestarkansas - 11 (c)nwafoodie

Lucius and Alison are the real deal and this is their passion project. Alison summed it all up perfectly to me, “We are really proud of our little Italian (tontitalian) community. We love continuing the traditions of our ancestors and passing a taste of our heritage to the next generation. We feel like the product we put out there is a representation of us and our food philosophies as a family. We believe food should contain minimal ingredients, be made in a thoughtful manner, and of course taste delicious.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Happy pasta eating and supporting our local gems.

Eat well, my friends. Eat well.

Lyndi

 

You might also like...

#Bean2Blog: Meet your community. #AWBU #foodiefriday When is a restaurant more than a restaurant? When her name is Mary Maestri’s.

Share

Share
Tweet
Email
Pin
Comment
Previous
Next

Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Looking for something?

hello + welcome

author image of thejoyofeatingwell blogWell hello! Thanks for stopping by. I’m Lyndi Fultz and I have a passion for simplicity.

I believe that planning, prepping, and cooking meals can be a joy and not a daily dreaded chore.

Want to start eating happily? Join me as I encourage kitchen joy by focusing on simplicity.

Ready to get started?

Read more…

let’s connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Newsletter signup

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

category search

Search by Year

nwafoodie

Explore your backyard and stay in-the-foodie-know.
Northwest Arkansas
Local eats @nwafoodie // everything else @simplejoyfulfood

Lyndi Fultz
I'm a black-coffee kinda' gal... yet every once in I'm a black-coffee kinda' gal... yet every once in a while a girl just gotta go with something special!⁠
⁠
Tag your favorite coffee shop and tell me what I should be drinking when I visit!⁠
⁠
I'll start:⁠
⁠
- Latte at @basecamp_coffeeco (pictured)⁠
- Lumberjack Latte at @airshipcoffee⁠
- Onyx Delight at @onyxcoffeelab⁠
⁠
Your turn!
Did you catch the 2021 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Did you catch the 2021 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony? I was super pumped to announce the People's Choice award.⁠
⁠
Follow @yourarheritage so you'll never miss these important Arkansas food news and events!⁠
Ad. One of the greatest pleasures in life is strol Ad. One of the greatest pleasures in life is strolling in nature. It can be a walk on the beach, a hike up a mountain, or a meander through the woods. Add a cuppa joe to that stroll, and now we’re talking.

@airshipcoffee at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve is the perfect cuppa joe stroll-walk-hike-meander-in-the-woods destination. All you have to do is plan a trip to Bentonville. 

☕️ Read all about this incredible open-air coffee shop in the woods on onlyinark.com, the super informative @fsbank website. You can browse by region and by topic. Of course Northwest Arkansas/Food please!
ad Once a year, at the beginning of summer grillin ad Once a year, at the beginning of summer grilling season, it is always a good idea to clean your gas grill. If you’ve always wondered how to clean your gas grill, then check out my latest blog post (link in bio) for printable instructions. My goal is to have you thoroughly equipped, ready to get to work, and most of all… ready to get grilling! #arkansassoybeans
🔆 ad. Have you ever tasted alternative coffee? 🔆 ad. Have you ever tasted alternative coffee? ☕ ⁣⠀
⁣⠀
If your first thought was "why would I want an alternative coffee?" -- that's understandable. I'm sure there was that first person who said "why would I want alternative milk? Or, alternative flour? Or, alternative sugar?" What used to be limited to a very small demographic has now become mainstream.⁣⠀
⁣⠀
Alternative coffee is on that same path and the good news is that small "roasters" are turning out delicious faux coffees. For instance, @nujo_official. This faux brew is the passion project of a former colleague of mine and she sent me a sample to try out. I like it so much that I wanted to share it with you!⁣⠀
⁣⠀
The aroma = Mmmmm, heavenly. Like, I want to make it into a candle.⁣⠀
⁣⠀
The first sip = Reminded me of rich tea.⁣⠀
⁣⠀
The secondary note = This is what excited... the taste started having more depth, very similar to a coffee. You know that lingering taste you swirl around your mouth. Yep, this nailed it!⁣⠀
⁣⠀
nujo (aka "your new cup of Joe") is an excellent alternative to those who are trying to cut out the caffeine, those who love caffeine yet for health reasons aren't able to drink coffee any more or in limited dosage, or for those who aren't able to drink caffeinated beverages for personal reasons.⁣⠀
⁣⠀
Actually, I think nujo is good for just about anyone! Follow @nujo_official, say hi to Carmen, and check out what they have to offer! Let me know what you think!
🔆 Ad. Even though “healthy” is a somewhat g 🔆 Ad. Even though “healthy” is a somewhat generic word; my definition of healthy is to have a balanced approach towards foods. I try to buy organic whenever and wherever possible… yet I also know that at the end of the day, it’s about eating as wholesome as possible. And sometimes that means a variety of foods. ⁣⠀
⁣⠀
I applaud those who are vegetarians because I know they have to really work the math – so to speak – to make sure they are getting the most wholesome balance of foods in order to ensure they are getting the balanced intake of nutrients, proteins, amino acids, and vitamins. ⁣⠀
⁣⠀
So, I thought we would take advantage of National Soy Foods Month and I would provide ten healthy vegetarian recipes that just about anyone would want to chow down on. Whether or not you are vegetarian!⁣⠀
⁣⠀
Since we eat with our eyes... so which one says "eat me!" to you?⁣⠀
⁣⠀
Link in bio ☝️and comments 👇 for my latest blog post that provides recipes for these 10 soybean rich foods! ⁣⠀
Load More... Instagram

contact

lyndi@thejoyofeatingwell.com

inspiration

“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

Copyright 2021 thejoyofeatingwell