ST. LOUIS — The former home of Mama Toscano’s on The Hill, which closed for good last month, will soon see a return of St. Louis’ famous toasted ravioli.
Rebecca Thessen, a broker at L3 Corporation, confirmed STL Toasted secured a lease for 2201 Macklind Ave.
Matthew Fuller and Brittany Abernathy, the husband-and-wife duo behind STL Toasted, started their operation as a pop-up more than a year ago, before opening their first location at City Foundry STL this June.
“We quickly realized we needed some production space,” Fuller said. Business has been good, and the current location’s 400 square feet and single refrigerator and freezer weren’t cutting it, he said.
The couple plans to use the new location strictly as production space for the time being, Fuller said, while the Foundry location is retained. He added that the company hopes to one day expand its footprint and break into retail, but that those ideas aren’t fully fleshed out yet.
The couple had considered going the route of a commissary kitchen, or rentable commercial kitchen space, but ultimately decided against it, given their expensive hourly rates and the time-consuming process of making ravioli, Fuller said.
But when the couple toured the Mama Toscano’s property, they quickly realized it was the perfect fit, Fuller said.
The property is about 4,000 square feet and includes a second-floor apartment and private back patio, according to Thessen.
STL Toasted doesn’t have any plans for the apartment or patio at this time, Fuller said.
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