Artist’s work exhibited around the country, Las Vegas pasta shop

Vegas Voices is a weekly series highlighting notable Las Vegans.

An accident derailed Ann Alenik’s plans to become a culinary artist, but led to her developing into a visual one.

Alenik was in culinary school at Johnson &Wales University in Rhode Island when she broke both legs in a crash and had to quit. But by then the Connecticut native had met fellow student David Alenik from New York, her future husband.

Ann instead decided to go into electrical engineering, which also would play a role in her art. In 1978 the couple moved to Florida, where she attended a technical institute and he worked as a chef at what is now the Boca Raton Resort and Club. When she graduated, they had their choice of moving to Los Angeles, Denver or Las Vegas. They chose Las Vegas because they thought the culinary scene would be best here.

“We came here in 1981,” Alenik said, and launched into a hearty laugh. “It was all buffets. It was like, ‘Oh, my God’; the food scene was not what we expected.” But David was hired at Villa d’Este, which is now Piero’s, where the legendary Joe Pignatello reigned, as did some gangsters, “back in the day when the mob guys all ate there.”

“Joe was so awesome,” she recalls. “He taught him everything.”

Alenik’s husband moved on to Steve Wynn’s Golden Nugget, where he cooked for Frank Sinatra. And when Sinatra moved to Bally’s, a headhunter came calling for Alenik.

Eventually he wanted to open his own place, and with his brother, Glenn, working the front of the house, he opened The Pasta Shop on East Tropicana Avenue in 1989, with Ann’s art on the walls. They operated there successfully for years, but in 2010 it was time to move. David and Ann ran the restaurant at the new location on Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson until September 2016, when David died suddenly in his sleep at age 58. She took over the thriving business, which currently makes pasta for about 10 local restaurants, eight of them on the Strip, and also sells pasta at the retail level.

It seems like the location was meant to be. Alenik remembers them pulling into the parking lot of the prospective new site and noticing that the name of the shopping center was Portofino.

“And that’s our house specialty,” she said. “Always has been.”

Review-Journal: How long have you worked as an artist?

Alenik: I’ve always loved art; I could make pretty much anything. When I would see metalwork, I was like, “I could do that.” I took some welding classes at community college. I started doing paintings on metals. I also have kilns; I do glass — fused glass. I’m in galleries all over the country, including Sedona (Arizona), Laguna Beach, Napa (California).

What do you specialize in?

When I’m painting, I like to do it on metal, because I know how to weld and I can work with it well, and it’s interesting to me. The finishes you can get on metal with automotive paints, it’s really cool. Most people can’t work on metal, so it’s unique. I can cut it, 4-D it, make sculpture. My pieces are very colorful and contemporary.

How did your work come to be exhibited at the original Pasta Shop?

I was working as an electrical engineer and traveling a lot. When we opened the restaurant, I made some artwork for the walls. Everybody would ask, “Is that for sale?” “No, it’s the decor.” Eventually I said, “OK, I’m going to start making things.” After the birth of my second child, I started getting more into art.

Are you still exhibiting your work, or does the restaurant occupy most of your time?

I’ve had to cut back on my art. I was traveling a lot and doing a lot of shows and doing a lot of orders for people, so now I spend a lot of time in the restaurant. I enjoy it, so I love being there. The kids came back after David died. Our older son, Trenton, runs a nonprofit, Inspiring Children, in Las Vegas, so we do a lot with them. Our daughter, Bianca, works at the restaurant and does a lot of the social media. She also works for (recording artist) Jewel, doing some writing and some personal-assistant work. Clayton goes to UNLV for hospitality and works at the restaurant. He’s the captain of the tennis team, so he’s a busy guy, too. Everybody, when they’re around, they’re always pitching in.

Was it a steep learning curve?

I’ve always run the business side. I’ve always worked there, too, and my kids have always worked there. Everyone who’s with us has been with us for 10-plus years. The kitchen staff and front of the house is 100 percent intact. David trained everybody; he wasn’t in front of the stove at that point. I just had to step up and make sure everything runs smoothly. I’m there a lot more than I was in the past.

What’s next for you and the Pasta Shop?

We hope to be in business for 40 years; our 30th year is next year. We have a great clientele and they’re very supportive, so we’re very fortunate in that. So as long as I still enjoy it and I’m able to, I plan on being there.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.