The nomadic kitchen of Pasta Pooks has set up camp in Little Italy

After years of pop-ups and festival takeovers, Pasta Pooks has finally put down roots. The team behind one of Montreal’s more boisterous pasta operations, Luca Vinci and Victor-Alex "Coach Vic" Petrenko, has taken over the former Dinette Triple Crown space and transformed it into a mostly takeout counter with just enough room to perch and inhale a rich and saucy plate.

It’s their first permanent home, a significant evolution for a project that started as a pandemic-born passion and has been snowballing since.

Their new space in Little Italy stays true to the energy that's fuelled their pop-ups and appearances in the past: At the front counter, there’s room for about ten diners to eat elbow-to-elbow, surrounded by checkered tiles and a menu scrawled on a chalkboard. Behind the scenes, a separate dining room plays host to private meals and Italian cooking classes, where guests can get a firsthand look at what makes their pasta operation tick.

The opening day menu came out swinging, and it'll no doubt evolve over time (there’s also a tight but solid selection of wine, bubbles, and beer to round things out):

Pasta

• Maccheroncini alla Campidanese: A traditional Sardinian pasta dish featuring small tubular pasta served in a rich sausage and tomato sauce.
• Gnochetti alla Bava: A Northern Italian specialty, typically small potato gnocchi coated in a decadent cheese sauce, often made with Fontina or other Alpine cheeses.
• Ravioli Ricotta e Spinaci: Classic stuffed pasta filled with ricotta cheese and spinach, typically served with butter and sage or a light tomato sauce.
• Balanzoni Burro e Salvia: A specialty from Bologna, these green-hued pasta parcels (dyed with spinach) are filled with ricotta and mortadella, finished with brown butter and sage.

Sandwiches

• Lemon Poivre Cheesesteak: A twist on the Philly cheesesteak with thinly sliced beef, a bright hit of lemon and black pepper, melted cheese, and a soft but sesame-studded hoagie roll.
• Jean Roast Pork: A slow-roasted pork sandwich inspired by Italian porchetta.
• Mushroom Pookie: A vegetarian option highlighting mushrooms.

Shaped by family history...

Vinci and Petrenko’s partnership is rooted in childhood friendship and defined by contrasts.

Vinci, raised in Quebec City by a tight-knit Italian family, learned the art of pasta-making in his grandmother’s kitchen. The women in his family were his first teachers, passing down traditions that became his foundation. His mother ran a hair salon out of a basement, and between the hum of blow dryers and the scent of simmering tomato sauce, he found an early understanding of craft and community.

Pasta, for him, is an act of meditation—something to perfect, a way to stay connected to his roots. He grew up watching his mother and grandmother prepare ravioli and tagliatelle by hand, getting his own hands in the mix whenever he could. When he worked in a bar in Quebec City, he started selling pasta to the restaurant, crafting fresh batches with his mother before heading in for his shift.

But his biggest influence has always been his aunt, Anna Maria Vinci. Her deep knowledge of Sardinian cuisine has shaped his approach, not just in the dishes he makes, but in his respect for tradition. She's family for Petrenko as well; after losing his mother as a teenager, he spent countless meals at her table, absorbing the culture and comfort that would eventually become part of Pasta Pooks’ DNA.

...and shaped by the hustle

But food alone isn’t what defines Pasta Pooks. Petrenko, with his background in nightlife and hospitality, has always seen the project as something bigger—an experience, a performance, a reason to bring people together. A self-proclaimed Montreal legend, he thrives in the chaos of a crowd and leans on his ability to build connections, create hype, and make an event out of anything—which, in its own way, has helped propelled Pasta Pooks from a small side hustle to something full-fledged.

His role isn’t about promoting the brand and shaping the culture around it. Whether it’s turning a backyard pop-up into a full-blown block party or rallying chefs and restaurateurs for a collaboration, Petrenko operates with a mix of confidence and audacity that keeps things moving. Having worked front-of-house at some of the city’s best restaurants, including Gia Vin & Grill, where he built a network that has fueled Pasta Pooks’ meteoric rise.

His approach is simple: make it loud, make it fun, and make people feel like they’re part of something special.

Out of an apartment and into the streets

When the pandemic hit, leaving them both unemployed and restless in their Plateau apartment, instincts kicked in. Vinci made pasta, Petrenko made noise, and Pasta Pooks was born.

They started small, selling fresh pasta through Instagram. Word spread fast. Their first big break came when Zach Macklovitch gave them a shot at a pop-up at SuWu on Saint-Laurent. With no prior experience running a service, they went all in—and sold out. Soon after, Barbara’s team took notice, leading Vinci to a role as an apprentice under then-chef David Pellizzari, where he honed his craft even further. A stint at Impasto followed, where working alongside Forgione and Faita pushed his technique to the next level.

Soon, they were trading lasagnas for tattoos, running pop-ups in the backyards of restaurants, and collaborating with Montreal kitchens like Salle Climatisée, Île Flottante, and Adamo. At Osheaga, they cooked for the artists backstage, turning their setup into one of the festival’s most talked-about spectacles. Their events blurred the line between food and performance, transforming simple pasta service into something electric.

For a duo that built their name on movement, this is a shift, but not a slowdown. The same intensity that fueled their rise is still there, but now it’s anchored in a space of their own. Pasta Pooks doesn’t need a big stage to make a big impact—it just needs a plate, a crowd, and a little bit of chaos.