Embedded deep within downtown La Conner is a new Italian restaurant that goes by the name Moltobello Ristorante Italiano. There’s nothing like an authentic, locally-owned and run restaurant, with Italian food that is bursting with flavor in a cozy setting with soft lighting. As their website says, Moltobello has “no attitude” and “just great Italian food.” 
David Kas, the owner of Moltobello and half-owner of the Fork At Agate Bay, decided alongside his wife, Nora Kas, to open an Italian restaurant after spending time with food in Italy himself. “We’d always wanted to do Italian, people were clamoring for it. I studied cooking in Italy, so it was really a no-brainer,” says David.
David has been working with and at restaurants for the past 40 years, and has many different jobs within Moltobello, from HR to plumbing, picking wines, fixing refrigerators, writing recipes, bartending, floor managing, working in the kitchen, and, perhaps most importantly, washing dishes. “[When washing dishes] I just lock in and get back to my roots. That’s sometimes the best place to be, it’s just you and the sprayer,” says David.
Nora, a classically trained chef, is the head honcho in the kitchen at Moltobello. She is the main cook, so without her, the Italian restaurant wouldn’t open. Nora creates decadent dishes in categories such as salads, pasta, seafood, and pizza, and much more. David loves all of their food but has a few favorites, including the Rigatoni with Mushroom Marsala, the Pistachio Mushroom & Ricotta Ravioli (Nora handmakes the ravioli), and the Rigatoni Bolognese with ribeye and pork belly. These are also some of their best-selling dishes on the menu.
People have been loving Moltobello since it opened on May 3, but with fame comes responsibility. There is a certain type of independence that comes with owning your own business, but at the same time, there is some independence that gets snatched away. “You know, it’s kind of ironic because I would say that there is a certain amount of freedom to owning your own business, yet at the same time you’re chained to it,” says David.
While it’s no easy task being the owner of a business with immense responsibilities and people counting on you, it can be incredibly fun at the same time. Moltobello has an absolutely wonderful staff full of young people who keep an open mind and are excellent at learning. “I think the most rewarding part of what I do is watching my employees learn and grow. Watching them go from scared to talk to people to running the room, and just watching their confidence grow. It’s the people who really make it. I think I have the best employees of anybody I’ve ever worked with,” says David. “That’s the biggest thing for me.”
Moltobello Ristorante Italiano is open Wednesdays through Fridays in the evenings and Fridays through Sundays in the afternoons and evenings, making it the perfect spot to take your family for an excellent, warm, filling meal. While you’re enjoying your food, don’t forget that you’re getting the best of the best with Nora as your chef.
513 1st St., La Conner, 360.399.1297, moltobelloristorante.com
Photograph by David Kas
