Matt Vernon married Mary Spessato nine years ago, just a few years after she moved to Houston from a small town outside of Venice, Italy. Vernon said Spessato found that most Greater Houston area restaurants served an American version of Italian cuisine.

This observation inspired Vernon to open Pasta e Pesto on FM 1960 in January 2016.“There are Italian restaurants around here, but for the most part, you have to travel downtown to find Italian dishes made by an Italian [chef]with Italian recipes,” Vernon said.