In February, Newburgh welcomed the soft opening of Bivona’s Simply Pasta, a pasta shop and grab-and-go deli spot already making waves with their fresh fettuccine, gnocchi, bucatini, and other rolled or extruded pastas made in-house, on the spot. Additional popular deli picks include meatball parm, a roasted pork sandwich, soups, salads, marinated mozzarella, and other Italian-American all-stars on a revolving and still-evolving menu.
Chef/owner Chuck Bivona—who runs the joint along with co-owner, financial partner, and longtime friend Mike Doehla—is a third-generation Newburgh-business owner breathing new life into a former family business.
His parents and grandmother ran Bivona’s Simply Pasta from 1989 to 1991. The well-loved eatery shuttered because the small team couldn’t keep up with intense demand while maintaining the quality they’d become known for.
“I’ve been wanting to reopen the business, but I decided to do it differently by running a deli, not a restaurant,” Bivona says. “That’s mostly because I don’t love where the restaurant industry has ended up. My idea is more of a disruption to the industry: Getting people to eat at home with family, by providing good food that takes minimal prep, tastes great, and is familiar but done a little bit nicer than what they’re used to.”
And Bivona has spent a fair amount of time in the industry to come to this approach. In just over 15 years, he’s worked a gamut of restaurant roles. A stint at a pizzeria during college as a business law major led him to change direction and explore culinary school. After studying at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, he went on to join the opening teams at the globally acclaimed Yardbird in Miami, Root & Bone in New York, and other concepts. He even appeared on Food Network’s “Chopped” series.
But Bivona’s passion for pasta started at home. “I was very active in the kitchen growing up, rolling pasta with my grandmother—always a fun time in the kitchen with her,” he says. “And then throughout my culinary career I’ve just always admired and been excited about pasta work.” It made sense that he’d return to his roots, this time to open his own place, backed by the support of an encouraging fiance, Rosa, and co-owner Doehla. “Rosa provided me with the space to figure out what I wanted to do, stood by me through the whole process, and gave me the confidence to do what I’m doing now,” he says. “And I couldn’t do this without Doehla. He was a nutrition coach and owner of Stronger U; he sold the business, and when I heard he was looking to invest in the community I pitched him a pasta shop in Newburgh.”
When the pair realized how well their values aligned in terms of giving local families more access to better quality food, Doehla was in. A year and a half later, the business opened on Liberty Street.
The first few weeks of the soft launch exceeded expectations. “It’s been incredible. Ridiculous. We sell out every day,” he says. “I think part of that is because very few places have the integrity to show everything they’re doing. Here, you walk into my kitchen and see my ingredients. You know what goes into the food. No one really comes in knowing what they want, but no one leaves unhappy.”
Newburgh has seen its share of new businesses open over the past decade, many of which have claimed a mission to revitalize the city. But those who are authentically trying to be a positive addition to Newburgh understand that the best way to do so isn’t by imposing an idea or trying to change the culture, it’s by recognizing the long-held pride of the community and finding meaningful ways to contribute; growth via assimilation. And those are the businesses that locals tend to embrace the most.
“I wouldn’t do this anywhere else but Newburgh: The community I love, the community that raised me, protected me,” Bivona says. “Now I get to share my passion here—and that passion is getting people excited about cooking at home again; sending customers home with fresh, quality food. All you need is boiling water and you’ve got a delicious meal. Good dinner, simply done.”
Bivona’s Simply Pasta had its soft-opening phase in March and is now closed until the week of April 20 as Bivona and Rosa get used to being parents.
Bivona’s Simply Pasta
47 Liberty Street Newburgh, NY 12550
This article appears in March 2023.
