Growing Tri-Cities food truck pod now dishing up handmade pasta

A growing food truck pod on one of the busiest Tri-Cities streets is adding Italian flare.

Impastables is serving up surefire comfort food just as temperatures are dropping.

Colder weather has forced a number of local restaurants to close up the outdoor seating areas they opened because of the COVID pandemic dining restrictions.

But even with limited indoor seating allowed, some diners still are looking for other choices. The increasing number of food trucks is trying to fill the bill.

One quickly expanding food pod is clustered in front of Bella’s Furniture at 7425 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick.

Impastables

Anthony Federico opened Impastables in late October with business partner Felicia Curtis to serve fresh handmade pasta with sauces cooked from scratch and dishes made to order.

“I have a family history of Italian food in my family,” Federico said. “My family was making pasta 100 years ago.”

Federico does all the cooking while Curtis, who also owns Hempyhands Day Spa in Kennewick, works with the customers.

Federico told the Herald he learned to cook Italian food by working in several restaurants on the East Coast before he moved to the Tri-Cities six years ago.

In fact, an Italian chef he worked with helped him create the menu for Impastables, which features 10 pasta dishes.

Options include pappardelle carbonara with pancetta and topped with a poached egg, angry pasta with a spicy red sauce and handmade ravioli.

Homemade meatballs, shrimp or chicken can be added to any dish.

Federico said that meats and produce are locally sourced while he uses imported cheese to ensure the best quality. The dishes come in small, medium and family size with prices ranging from $7 to $18.

Italian sodas and panna cotta — an Italian custard — completes the menu.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Information: Instagram, Facebook or impastablesfoodtruck.com.

Other food trucks at the pod

▪ Hi Dumplings opened this summer serving up Japanese and Korean cuisine.

“We’re trying to bring a new flavor to Tri-Cities,” Hi Dumplings co-owner Bohao Huang told the Herald. “I like dumplings and ramen, and wanted to bring a food truck here with those options.”

Hi Dumplings serves dishes such as spicy or not spicy Tantan ramen, pan fried pork buns and teriyaki salmon on rice with asparagus. There also is a daily special with past dishes such as Korean style spicy squid and a Japanese beef bowl.

And you can cool the heat with a Japanese soda.

The food truck is open 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. unless otherwise posted on their Facebook page.

▪ Thai Co. The Iron Wok opened about a year ago by Thongploei “Kwan” Bridge and her husband Cameron.

Kwan is a native of Thailand and has been cooking since she was a teen. After moving to Hawaii, where she met and married her husband, they landed in the area after he retired.

Kwan melds her years of experience working in restaurants along with flavors of her culture to create a mouth-watering menu.

Staples include Phad Thai along with various fried rice dishes that start at $11. You’ll also find a rotating daily menu with a different daily curry alongside dishes such as Phad Ba Mee, a stir-fried egg noodle with veggies and meat or Phad Kra Poa, a chicken stir fry with holy basil.

Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. They are closed Sunday through Tuesday. Phone: 509-788-8212

Other business news:

The owner of Brew’d Awakening coffee stands inside Trios Health in Kennewick and Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco, as well as a mobile unit for events is opening a stand-alone drive-thru.

The Shak by Brew’d Awakening is set to open by the end of November at 4727 W. Clearwater Ave. across the street from WinCo in Kennewick.

“It will be a lot different because we are really family oriented,” said owner Joanne Saenz, who added that her Christian faith will be an integral part of her business.

She will be offering many to-go food options, such as yogurt parfaits, corn cups and more. Saenz also will be giving a $1 discount on drinks for anyone who memorizes and recites her selected Bible verse of the week.

“I’m really excited to catch someone in a really bad mood and having them drive up to the window and hear music that could change their lives,” she said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 12:59 PM.