Pasta Alla Zeta!

Sister Spotlight: Marion Alcaro

If my eyes were closed, I would have believed I was in an Italian restaurant. That’s the smell of Marion Alcaro’s apartment when I walked in to interview her. Delicious scents of garlic and tomato sauce. What’s it for? Her small business, Pastabilities.

Along with running her own business, Marion is a senior sociology major here at Virginia Tech, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, and singer for the band Bull Moose Party.

“Prioritize what you think is important,” said Marion when I asked how she balances such a busy lifestyle. “To me the most important thing between everything is taking care of myself.”

Growing up, Marion was always surrounded by food, as her parents both work in the industry. This sparked her own passion for food and cooking at a young age. “I had a lot of support from friends and family,” she said when telling me how Pastabilities came to be. Her roommate reminded her how often she cooks pasta out of pure love for the food. She then decided to turn it into a business.

Pastabilities was created last semester, right from inside her apartment. She cooks homemade pasta, and some weeks you’ll also see special sides like caesar salad and garlic bread. Her very first pasta for the business was Fettuccine Alfredo, but fan favorites have been Shrimp Scampi and Penne Salsiccia e Ricotta.

Marion credits a lot of the growth of her business to Zeta, as she was able to present in front of the chapter and shout out Pastabilities. After these presentations, she gained followers, but more importantly supporters. Her sisters are always ordering and promoting Marion’s business.

As it is one of our nine key values, Marion discusses how leadership has been a big part of her ZTA experience. “I was a part of the Historian Team, and that has helped my professional career and built up my resume,” said Marion.

Seeing her sisters emphasize this value was inspiring, “leadership is important to Zeta, and that motivated me to start Pastabilities,” said Marion.

Managing time and finances, staying organized, and sticking to a deadline are some of the few skills Marion has gained from running her own business. Pastabilities has taught her some real life skills she’ll be able to use in her future career.

After graduating next month, Marion is going abroad for the summer and then moving to Richmond, VA.

However, Pastabilities is not going away any time soon. The honor of running the business will be handed to fellow Zeta, Shaili Bedi, PC ‘23! Shaili is not only a loyal customer of Pastabilities, but a pasta enthusiast herself. We cannot wait to see what she does with this loved business!

Be sure to watch our video interview, 40 Qs with Marion!