Dolina Pasta
Six years ago, inspired by the access to high-quality organic ingredients in the area, Susanne Klaric began selling her fresh, homemade linguine and pappardelle at the farmers markets in Bozeman. Dolina, meaning “valley” in Croatian, was a fitting name for practices that were seeded many generations ago in Croatia before eventually germinating as a small business in Gallatin Valley.
Klaric’s family emigrated from Croatia to the United States in the middle of the 20th century, one of many families leaving their homeland in response to sociopolitical trends in the region. Klaric was born into a small immigrant community in New York City, surrounded by Croatian culture and, perhaps most importantly, her grandmothers.
Though she grew up far from Croatia, Klaric says she has great memories of helping her grandmothers prepare traditional foods in the kitchen. From a young age, she learned how to make delicious fresh pasta using the simplest of ingredients. In 2016, after working as a corporate lawyer in New York, Klaric prepared to make another migration. She sought a place that better matched her lifestyle and her desire to raise a family. Klaric was regularly leaving the city to hike and ski, so when her husband was offered a job in Montana their decision to move naturally fell into place.
Once settled in her new home, something clicked. Klaric says she always enjoyed cooking and, in particular, making her grandmothers’ pasta and sharing it with others. She describes how the simplicity of the recipe allows the quality and flavor of the ingredients to shine through; and with newfound access to local organic wheat and eggs, Klaric felt inspired to support sustainable practices and Montana agriculture.
She took the next step and began selling pasta at local farmers markets. After a couple of years, the Bozeman Food Co-op had received so many requests for Dolina Pasta that they contacted Klaric about selling her products wholesale. After that, Klaric says, grocery wholesale accounts began to snowball. Though she no longer sells at farmers markets, her pasta can be found at multiple grocery stores in Bozeman, through delivery services such as Root Cellar Foods and Doorstep Farm Foods, or served fresh at Campione in Livingston.
Klaric says she is grateful to be able to share Dolina with a larger number of people, but she does miss the farmers markets and getting to know her customers face-to-face. After all, what truly motivates her is the opportunity to share the connection that is fostered through a quality homemade meal.
She hopes to rekindle that connection by eventually opening up her own retail space, though that will have to wait until her children are a bit older. Just like Klaric helped her grandmothers cut pasta into various shapes, so too will her business be shaped to some degree by the next generation. For now, though, her 5-year-old daughter loves to lend a helping hand in their home kitchen—especially if they’re making ravioli.
