In Italian recipes, q.b. is shorthand for “quanto basta,” or as much as needed. When she wanted to start an Italian kitchenware e-commerce company, Sarah Ubertaccio took inspiration from the phrase, applying it to the idea that home cooks should update their kitchen whenever something needs to be replaced.
Ubertaccio launched q.b. Cucina, her e-commerce marketplace, in Asheville, NC, in 2020, making artisanal Italian kitchenware items from pasta shapers to ravioli stamps accessible to American shoppers. Here, in an interview that has been edited and condensed, she discusses her background and inspiration and explains her new company's role in fulfilling a need in the culinary space.
Sarah Ubertaccio, founder of q.b. Cucina.
Are you Italian? Where did your passion for Italian cuisine and pasta making stem from?
I consider myself Italian-American. My great grandparents were born in Sicily and moved here in the early 1900s. That culture has always been the more predominant family influence. Growing up, my nanna would teach me Italian words, share stories about her parents, and go through different recipes and adaptations of dishes with me. I studied abroad in Florence during college, which was an experience that had a huge impression on me. I ended up going back after receiving my Master's degree and spent time living in Bologna and Genoa.
When did you launch q.b Cucina?
I’ve always wanted to stay connected to Italy. Prior to visiting, I started a blog and continued it when I went there. I wrote about my experience, the food and culture. I moved back to the U.S. in 2017 and wanted to maintain that connection of cooking and writing. In April of 2020, I had a realization that there was a need for the pasta tools and other kitchenwares that I was using in my recipes. They seemed to be difficult to find here in America, so I wanted to find a way to make them accessible.
Americans aren’t overly familiar with the phrase “quanto basta.” What does it mean, and why did you choose that name for your company?
Coming up with a name was really hard! I think I had the concept down more than the name initially. Quanto basta, or “just enough” is a phrase commonly used in Italian cooking that implies just enough to make the dish taste as it should. It was something authentic and Italian that’s not so out there, yet a bit more abstract. Even though it’s somewhat hard to pronounce, the “q.b.” sticks, and I love the aesthetic element of the inversion of the letters beside each other. It’s a fun story to tell.
Pettine Traditional Wooden Pasta Comb for Garganelli.
Where and how are your tools made?
Everything at the moment is either made in or hand-painted in Italy. The idea has always been to curate products that are made or inspired by Italy, so we are always open to having an American artisan have a role.
What factors do you consider when curating your products?
Aside from fulfilling a demand, we look for products that have a story or something really special about them. Since some traditional tools feel slightly old-fashioned, we love finding items that have a more modern feel. We tend to struggle with more niche tools. The Italian phrase piatti fondi bowls have become big sellers, as they are very accessible and useful.
What’s your favorite pasta shape to make?
Right now it’s garganelli. I think I like it because it's not extremely complicated, and of course because I lived in Bologna and Emilia. It’s a shape that is near and dear to my heart!
What tool do you believe is the most essential?
This is a hard one! On one hand, for a pasta maker, a good rotella or wheel is pretty essential because you can do really cool things once you have that, like cutting clean and beautiful lines. For the everyday cook, I’d choose the piatti fondi. Those bowls have the quintessential shape that Italians use every day for serving pasta. They tend to be hard to find in America, so having a couple of those is a nice way to add that Italian touch.
Spinach Risotto in an Italian Phrase Piatto Fondo.
q.b. Cucina is much more than just an online store. Can you share with us more about the resource and recipe sections of your website?
I’ve always wanted the content side of q.b Cucina to be on the same playing field as the product side, even if the product is what makes us money directly. When someone buys a tool from us, I want them to have the education and resources on how to use them and practice, as well as continue to support us. My experience in blogging taught me that people appreciate content.
Do you have any exciting new things in the works?
We do have some new product categories that we’re launching soon and are actively working on shipping internationally. (q.b. Cucina currently only ships within the U.S.) We get so many people from Canada begging us to send products to them and are hoping that we can do that soon!