My Italian hubby was excited when we found a bit of Italian culinary history this weekend while browsing garage sales. Since he bought me a pasta maker early on in our marriage finding a vintage pasta machine was fun.

Antique cast iron Vitantonio hand crank pasta making machine with roller, and cutting blades.

Researching it online showed that this was the first pasta machine invented (at least in America) in 1906 and apparently it was made into the 1920's by Italian immigrant Angelo Vitantonio. This hand turned pasta machine was the first pasta machine patented in the United States with patent dates of Feb 13, 1906 and March 2, 1920. Angelo went on to start the Vitantonio Manufacturing Company of Cleveland Ohio in the Little Italy section of town. Vitantonio specialized in devices for Italian cooking into the 1920's when it shifted away from iron. The company then diversified into waffle makers and other gourmet cookware. It was a typical family run company until they sold out in 2004, and was still in business in 1995 when it was acquired by Kadee.

This vintage beauty is made of cast iron, steel and with wood roller, 3 steel cutters; it has free turning wheels and a table clamp for attaching it to a table or counter top as well as mounting holes. It measures 7 inches tall, the cutting attachments are 7 1/8 inches long with a cutting area of 4 1/8 inches. Even though I won't be making homemades with it, this fits right in with the other cast iron collectibles in our home. It also turns out that it is also worth more than the $5.00 we paid for it.