Panic has beset the Italian American Community!! Pastina — the ultimate Italian American comfort food  — has gone the way of the Dodo!!!  Only… it hasn’t! When an Italian American thinks of pastina, especially during these cold winter months, it brings one back to the comforts of childhood, a cozy day in bed, and Nonna’s healing touch.

But this week, when Ronzoni pasta announced it was discontinuing the production of this beloved shape we affectionately call “Italian penicillin,” millions of Italian American voices joined in a terrified uproar. But… spoiler alert… pastina isn’t going anywhere, as we sit down with Michael Fava of DeCecco Pasta USA, who helps us dissect what our community calls a “crisis” of epic proportions.