ESO Artisanal Pasta in Morristown coming back soon after legal battle
When ESO Artisanal Pasta in Morristown announced its closure in September, a year after it opened, its fans took to social media to lament the demise of the hand-made pasta shop.
"There's got to be a way to keep this going,” wrote one commenter.
Turns out, there is. ESO is back, bolstered by a GoFundMe campaign and a successful legal battle.
Former owner Ayinde (AJ) Sankofa and his fiancée Kristina Gambarian plan to reopen the shop in early December, as soon as they find someone to work the storefront. Gambarian — a pastry chef and founder of Babushka Pies — wasn't a partner when ESO originally opened, but will now join her fiancé in running the business.
Sankofa, who worked at Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen and trained under two Michelin-starred chefs, initially opened the shop in summer of 2020 with fellow former Jockey Hollow employees Joel Camarillo-Diaz and Isaiah Findley-Pinnock. All three were out of work due to the pandemic.
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The trio decided to band together to sell packages of pasta and jars of sauce. At first, they worked out of The Artist Bakery in Morristown but later moved to a storefront on Elm Street.
“I had an unfortunate fall-out with my partners,” said Sankofa. The fissure brought about an uncertain future for ESO. “We closed up. We felt like, financially, we would not be able to run the business anymore.”
Sankofa and Gambarian then became embroiled in a legal battle to regain ownership over the business. Camarillo-Diaz and Findley-Pinnock could not be reached for comment.
“It was a shot in the dark,” Sankofa said. “It didn’t seem like we would win that fight, but we did.”
With ownership of ESO secured, they then needed to raise enough money to get back on their feet. Sankofa said they sold all of their equipment to pay for legal fees. They started a GoFundMe which, a day after launching, raised about $8,000. It has now collected just shy of $15,000.
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Sankofa said, after seeing all the community support, he ordered flour from Italy and got back to work, rolling out thick rows of pappardelle and bundles of ricotta gnocchi. Sankofa said they plan to offer their bestsellers (which include the pappardelle and gnocchi) along with sauces at first, then add new items as they grow.
They also hope to launch nationwide shipping for online orders.
ESO Pasta is located at 92A Elm St., Morristown; 201-520-1546, esoartisanalpasta.com.
Rebecca King is a food writer for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.
Email: kingr@northjersey.com
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: ESO Artisanal Pasta in Morristown is back after a legal battle
