Il Laboratorio - The Cooking Lab

09/09/2026

Scheduling holiday parties or end of year team building events?

Let us do all the work for you - contact [email protected]

09/08/2026

Don't miss Festa Italiana NC on Sept 19th!

Food, music, food, cooking demo stage, food, dancing, food, wine and merch and more food!

Melina's Fresh Pasta will be serving fried Ravioli and Arancini.

09/07/2026

Carmella will be the Emcee for the Galbani Culinary Stage and also be doing a cooking demonstration at 430pm

Don't miss Festa Italiana!

La Cucina Galbani at Festa Italiana North Carolina is taking us on a trip to thanks to Chef Carmella Alvaro of Melina's Fresh Pasta in .
Chef Carmella will prepare Fig Gorgonzola Ravioli with Brown Butter and Honey.

Grab some fresh figs from your neighbors and DO try this one at home!

September 19, 4:30 PM Town of Apex Government

09/07/2026

Come see Daniela at Festa Italiana NC on September 19th on the Galbani Culinary Stage.

is a stop on the La Cucina Galbani stage on September 19, 5:30 PM at Italiana North Carolina , Town of Apex Government thanks to Chef Daniela Stanganelli from Il Laboratorio - The Cooking Lab in .

Chef Daniela will be preparing Eggplant Rollatini & Eggplant Parmesan. What a delicious way to enjoy North Carolina eggplants with a Calabrian flair!

09/07/2026

Introducing - School’s out - Aprons on!

Daytime Cooking Workshops during school breaks.

Drop your young chef off for a hands-on morning of pasta making at Il Laboratorio - The Cooking Lab by Melina's Fresh Pasta.

Kids will make their own lunch from scratch, learn real kitchen skills and enjoy their creation together at the end of class.

Ages 7–13 - All ingredients, instruction and lunch included.
Oct 6 & Nov 2

Parents are welcome to drop their child off or stay during class. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available if you’d like to work while you wait, and you’re welcome to watch the young chefs in action. To give the children an independent, hands-on experience, parents will not participate in the class.

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/il-laboratorio-by-melinas-fresh-pasta-4802192677

09/07/2026

Have you signed up for a pasta class yet at Il Laboratorio - our cooking school in Durham???
September schedule here
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/il-laboratorio-by-melinas-fresh-pasta-4802192677

09/04/2026

This group had a blast making fettuccine and ravioli!

Sign up for an upcoming class here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/il-laboratorio-by-melinas-fresh-pasta-4802192677

09/01/2026

The only acceptable time to break pasta - Pasta Fagioli

08/31/2026

Italian Sunday baking making Amaretti and Anginetti!

Sign up for an upcoming class here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/il-laboratorio-by-melinas-fresh-pasta-4802192677

08/31/2026

Don't miss Festa Italiana NC on Sept 19!

Welcome back to La Cucina to Chef . She will be the emcee of the Culinary Stage and also do a demo herself at 5:30 PM Sat, September 19, of Apex Government Campus.

Carmella Alvaro is the owner and pasta maker of Melina's Fresh Pasta in Durham, North Carolina and Il Laboratorio - The Cooking Lab in Durham, NC. As a first-generation Italian-American, born to Calabrese parents, she has successfully bridged her family’s heritage with the North Carolina culinary scene. Melina’s Fresh Pasta focused on fresh pasta, ravioli, gnocchi, sauces, baked pasta meals and more.

Carmella traveled to Bologna, Italy in 2010 to learn how to make authentic Italian fresh pasta and founded Melina’s Fresh Pasta upon her return to NC.

Award-Winning Recipe: Won the prestigious Our State Magazine Made in NC Award in 2021 for her signature pimento cheese ravioli, which blends Southern food culture with classic Italian technique.

Founded Il Laboratorio in early 2024, a dedicated, hands-on pasta making school focused on regional Italian cooking.

Carmella wrote and published two fresh pasta cookbooks, Authentic Homemade Pasta and Homemade Ravioli Made Simple.