Who are you and what do you do?
We are Tyler and Lindsey Steinkamp from Marion, Iowa. We started making homemade flavored pasta in our small kitchen to sell at farmer’s markets and other local events. To make our flavored pasta, we infuse the dough with ingredients like parmesan cheese, spinach, and garlic. We’ve since grown our business to also include meal kits, soup mixes, and pasta salad mixes – all with our made-from-scratch pasta!
What has been your favorite moment since creating your art/business?
We love hearing from people who have purchased and made our pasta and are coming back for more! It’s fun to hear the various ways people use our pasta. We also love seeing our products in local stores – our family business supporting another family’s business!
Have you always been passionate about art and design?
Yes! I (Lindsey) have always been creative my whole life – so much that I got my degree in Graphic Design!
How did you get started in your art / business?
We began by dabbling in a lot of creative interests and trying out different things in the kitchen. In the beginning we made much more than just pasta. We had a variety of baked goods and mixes, including hot chocolate mixes and dip mixes! We eventually narrowed our focus to just pasta because it was so unique, and we had a lot of fun with it!
Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
We liked the name “prairie” because it reminds us of our roots. We are both born and raised in the Midwest and “prairie” is also reminiscent of the wheat used to grow the flour for our pasta (ours is sourced from North Dakota).
What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
People love that it is locally made, and that we design and make every aspect of the product ourselves, from the pasta to the seasoning packets to the packaging. People also love the unique flavors and how easy it makes dinner time! It’s nice to have something easy to prepare after a long day, but that still tastes quality and homemade.
What is the latest thing you have been working on?
We just created a new dill pasta salad mix: Dill-icious Pasta Salad. This fall we’re releasing a new Cheddar Soup mix that you can make as a broccoli cheese soup or a cheeseburger soup!
What will you be bringing to the Gift & Art Expo for attendees to purchase?
We will have all of our products available, including our most popular pasta: Parmesan Garlic, our most popular meal kits: Triple Cheddar and Creamy Alfredo, our most popular soup: Creamy Chicken & Rice, and our most popular pasta salads: Bacon Ranch and Dill-icious.
www.pastaoftheprairie.com
www.instagram.com/pastaoftheprairie
