The return of Pasta Sunday
and some thoughts on connection, community and taking things "offline"
Hello dear readers,
It is I, coming to you with some exciting news. After close to 18 months (!) on hiatus, Pasta Sunday will be making an official return next month. If you previously had a paid sub with me, there are some logistical details further down in the post that you need to be aware of, as well as the nitty gritty about what to expect from this publication going forward.
Don’t worry, I’ll pop a TLDR at the end!
But first, let’s take a look back.
When I started writing this newsletter in 2022, I wanted to create a forum away from social media, where I could connect with readers and share in greater detail, my recipes and kitchen pursuits. I love the research, the detail and the nuances of cooking, and I wanted - no, needed - an outlet to share that. Exploring new recipes, trying new things, testing dough hydration - it’s not really designed for short-form video content on apps that are in turn designed to capture viewer’s attention in a few seconds. And so, Pasta Sunday was born, and it’s where many of you joined me.
Since then, my audience has grown from a global community of a few thousand, to over 350,000 across Instagram and TikTok. It’s wild to me that a dough dork and awkward pasta enthusiast like myself has connected with so many people far and wide, and I am so thankful to have built such a fun, friendly, supportive, beautiful (the list goes ON) community who enjoy making the recipes I put out in the world.
When I started no regretti spaghetti, I had no real intention of turning it into actual work, but as it organically grew and evolved, I felt thrilled to have this full circle moment, remembering the governing self doubt of my 20s that held me back from pursuing a career in food writing and recipe development. But in this time the era of the recipe developer has too arrived, there are more people than ever creating delicious food and maybe more so, filming it in such a way that creates a viral moment. With platforms whose favouring model rewards more more more, and teamed with the thrill of virality for those creating the content, the end result - as I’m certain you probably feel too - is a lot of the same thing, repeated, over and over again, and in huge volume. I like to call it the TikTok effect.
As someone who doesn’t really partake in trends, or recipes series (I simply could not properly test, film, edit, publish a recipe on a daily basis for a prolonged period of time), or putting an ingredient of the moment in everything because everyone else is, I have found myself feeling a bit left behind, lost, irrelevant (I am completely aware this is the doing of my inner critic, but transparency is my thing). And while I’d love to say the numbers don’t bother me, they absolutely do.
While I’ve continued to share recipes via social media (all while navigating these early months of motherhood), I have been left feeling like I’m lacking purpose and connection. I asked myself - why am I doing what I do? - and my answer was to teach, share my learnings, share delicious recipes and make people happy through food. Certainly not to just put a recipe out into the social ether, judged on how far the algorithm decides it goes.
And that brought me back to this, Pasta Sunday.
As soon as I decided now was the time to bring back this publication, I felt excited for the first time in a long time - I loved writing Pasta Sunday and developing recipes for this publication, and the prospect of bringing it back, taking ownership of my work again, and getting to connect more deeply with those reading it all in all feels envigorating! So, my fellow pasta lovers - I am delighted to be relaunching things here on Substack, and cannot wait to deliver hot and delicious recipes to your inbox on a regular basis.
Now for the nitty gritty! There are a few changes to expect from the previous bi-monthly publication going forward.
What’s changing?
Pasta Sunday will now be a weekly publication about fresh pasta, Sunday cooking sessions and all the stuff that goes with it.
You can expect recipes that will mostly focus on fresh pasta, but sometimes won’t. I want recipes to be accessible to everyone, and there are so many dishes that really lend themselves to using alternatives. Additionally, Pasta Sunday as a concept centres around the ritual of slowing down on a Sunday and bringing people together for a meal, researching dishes, techniques and the history of dishes - so occasionally we may branch out from pasta all together, or take a deep dive into something specific. Really, Pasta Sunday is about good cooking and good times, and I really hope you’ll love the direction I’m taking this in.
What do you get as a paid subscriber?
Receive a new Pasta Sunday recipe every week, mostly fresh pasta, sometimes not (but always delicious!)
My popular series Bit On The Side, which celebrates all of my favourite side dishes, will now live here, exclusive to paid subscribers
A monthly run down on all the things!
recipes I’ve shared ICYMI
recipes I’ve loved
things I’m watching, reading, doing
new tools, gadgets, things I’m loving
And occasionally, travel/lifestyle guides
Be the first to know about any special events like upcoming pasta workshops (hint hint)
Plus additional ad hoc content, extra recipes, deep dives, guest content etc
Access to the archives - all content previously behind the paid sub paywall
Free subscribers will get:
Previews of all newsletters
1x Pasta Sunday recipe per month
The monthly round up
Be the first to know about any special events like upcoming pasta workshops (hint hint)
A note for existing subscribers
I paused all paid subscriptions when I put this publication on hiatus. Subscriptions will now be turned back on. There are no changes to the subscription cost, which remains at $5USD/month (or a bit less if you signed up for an annual subscription).
If you’re a free subscriber and want to upgrade to paid, subscriptions will now be available again (once Substack has turned subs back on! If it’s not available - please check back in a few hours).
What to expect between now and then?
Well, I have been busy working on a bunch of new recipes for you, but I also have so many recipes that I’ve shared in the time this publication has been on hold, so expect to see some of those too (with a bit more detail) over the coming weeks.
Until then, as always I’d love to hear from you! Are you excited for the return of Pasta Sunday, have any thoughts you’d like to share, recipe requests, etc? Let me know in the comment section.
Finally, just a note to say thank you for your continued support over the years. This publication gives me so much purpose, allows me to write about food, share and teach, and most importantly connect with you.
See you on 1st December!
Gabriella
TLDR
Pasta Sunday is relaunching from 1st December. Existing paid subscriptions will recommence at the same cost of $5USD/month, or a little less if you subscribe annually. Current free subscribers will have the ability to upgrade to a paid subscription, if they so please.
This publication will now be sent on a weekly basis, recipes from my Bit On The Side series will now exclusively be available here, and there are a bunch of other little extras that you’ll get as a subscriber, listed above if you want more detail.
I am so excited to be bringing this publication back from hiatus, and your continued support means the absolute world to me!
Wooooo! 💃🏻💃🏻
Delighted to see you back!