Pasta Divina, the First Certified Organic Pasta Company in New Mexico!

Pasta Divina, a divinely organic pasta company, was created by friends Luisella Corbellari-Hunter and Michelle Martinez in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Luisella Corbellari-Hunter is a native of Milan, Italy.  Her passion for cooking and making fresh pasta started as a young child in her mother’s kitchen. Together they would hand-roll and cut fresh pasta every Sunday, toss together fresh herbs and various ingredients to create sauces to complement their fresh pasta creations.  Now she has brought this passion for fresh ingredients and the art of cooking into Pasta Divina and her dream is to offer a line of “authentic” Italian products to New Mexicans’ palates.

She came to New Mexico in 1995 to obtain an MBA and met and married a native New Mexican. They have 2 children and Luisella permeates her children’s upbringing with her Italian heritage. As a family, they return to Italy annually to spend the summer with her relatives. The celebration of Italian beautiful landscape, art, and of its food is at the heart of their yearly experience.

Luisella has made many friends amongst Italian pasta makers and every summer she meets with them to discuss new techniques and recipes and continues learning the many tricks of fresh pasta making. She is also always searching for unique, Italian food products to bring back to New Mexico and incorporate into her pasta business, in order to offer a more comprehensive experience to Pasta Divina’s customers.

Michelle Martinez (born Michelle Michelotti-Russell) is a native New Mexican. (born Michelle Michelotti-Russell) is a native New Mexican. Her first-generation Italian mother passionately shared her Italian heritage with Michelle and her family. Michelle has fond memories of spending summers at large family gatherings, helping her mother and aunts create Italian meals that always included fresh pasta and pasta dishes.

Michelle shares her love of her heritage with her Mexican-American husband. She is a passionate chef who creates her own Italian dishes and loves to entertain family and friends regularly. Michelle travels annually to Italy to visit family in Torino, where she spends time cooking with relatives, embracing her roots, and expanding her knowledge of the Italian language.

She has traveled throughout the world and enjoys tasting regional cuisines, studying cooking styles, and savoring the cultures. Recently, Michelle attended a cooking school in Florence, Italy where she worked with Italian renowned chef, Elena Mattei. Michelle learned new styles and techniques and returned with a deeper understanding of Italian Cuisine. She continually self-studies to bring a fresh, unique aspect to her talents and to the company. Michelle’s passion is evident in her Pasta Divina products.