ESO Artisanal Pasta In Morristown To Close

MORRISTOWN, NJ — For more than a year, AJ Sankofa brought authentic Italian flavors to his hometown of Morristown. But it won't last much longer, as ESO Artisinal Pasta announced Thursday it will close.

The business didn't mention a closing date but said it would stay open for long enough to sell the bulk of its remaining inventory, which is limited to gluten-free pasta, sauces and pizzas. ESO Artisinal Pasta encouraged people to order online.

"Unforeseen internal conflicts with former partners has left us without capital to purchase ingredients or a kitchen to produce our pasta, sauces and desserts," the business wrote on Facebook. "With our liabilities through the roof and little to no revenue coming in we’ve come to the conclusion that we will no longer be able to sustain ourselves as a business."

Read the full message below:

Before Sankofa became "Chef AJ," he learned on the job under Kevin Sippel — previously Jockey Hollow's executive chef. Sankofa knew Sippel studied somewhere in Italy, so he looked into schools and found the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners.

"I asked Chef Kevin his opinion on the school," Sankofa said. "He actually smiled and pulled out a picture of his graduation photo from the school back in 1998. From there, I set out to follow that path."

Sankofa earned his master's degree from the school and completed an internship as the chef de partie at La Rossa, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Turin, of western Italy. He returned to Italy once more in 2019, when the eatery hired him back as a full-time employee. Read more: Chef's Journey Takes Authentic Flavor From Italy To Morristown

The Morristown native crossed the pond again to work with Sippel in Buffalo, before his culinary journey took him to New York City. Sankofa and his fiancée — Kristina Gambarian — worked at Legacy Records, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan.

Then the coronavirus hit the United States, and Legacy Records furloughed them both in March 2020. During lockdown, they turned Gambarian's passion for baking into a business. Gambarian made cakes and pies, while Sankofa delivered and did marketing. The business took off, and they decided to add pasta to the mix.

Sankofa got together with friends to develop ESO Artisinal Pasta. And his former colleague at Jockey Hollow offered them a storefront.

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