Dorsia Pasta Co.

“Officially official. I make pasta, I sell pasta!” As of September 1, Chef Bryan Pierce Bowers is officially the proud owner of Dorsia Pasta Co. based in Columbia. Although the title of “owner” may be new, Bowers is a familiar name in the Columbia culinary circles. He made the leap to leave the restaurant scene, most recently Di Vino Rosso, and now focuses on making pasta full-time.  

The dream of owning his own business became a reality while the restaurant industry waited out covid. With restaurants closed indefinitely, Bowers had to make ends meet. He was asked to teach a pasta class to a group of friends in a private home, and from there the (dough) ball kept rolling.

“The pasta classes are a hit—people love learning how to make pasta from scratch, and seeing the work that goes into it, the time spent, the detail.”  

Bowers now hosts a monthly pasta class at Primal Gourmet Kitchen + Market, located in West Columbia, and continues to offer in-home pasta classes. If pasta-making doesn’t seem as much fun as pasta-eating, freshly prepared pastas are available in Primal Gourmet’s market every week. 

Fresh, simple and real ingredients are the foundation of Dorsia Pasta Co. Bowers starts with authentic, Italian 00 flour, then adds whatever locally sourced ingredients he can find, including seasonal produce like local Dutch Fork pumpkins and Bradford collard greens.  

Dorsia Pasta Co. creates different types of manually extruded pasta, including harder-to-find shapes like bucatini and busiate, garganelli; pastas made from specialty doughs like spinach, basil and beet root; fettuccine egg pasta; stuffed pastas including raviolis, manicotti, caramelle, agnolotti and cappellacci; and a selection of vegan semolina pastas—capunti and cavatelli.  

Part of Bower’s mission is to continue to expand the culinary scene in Columbia by sourcing directly to chefs at restaurants like Hendrix and Ratio.  

“We see what the specials are going to be that week—what ingredients they’re wanting to use—and I create a pasta that pairs well with what they’re cooking.”  

Similarly, Lula Drake Wine Parlour hosts Bowers for a pasta and wine night every Wednesday. Bowers and Chef Rachel Harrison of Lula Drake team up to create original pasta dishes, like goat’s milk Bolognese with pecan pesto, and taleggio and potato purée with Iberico ham. 

Bowers muses about opening a quaint pasta restaurant in the future, as his desire to see the international fare options in Columbia grow. But for now, he’s focused on one thing—making pasta and selling pasta. 

To schedule pasta classes and find out what Chef Bowers is rolling out next, follow him on Instagram @Dorsia_Pasta_Co