![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hunterdoneats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/SIT-1-1-300x105.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you know how to make pasta from scratch? Justin Carlisi does.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy pasta comes into the building as a bag of flour,\u201d Carlisi said. \u201cWe make our pasta from scratch. We do our own butchering. We make our own bread and our own cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Stanton was built in 1837 and served as a neighborhood grocery store until January 2019 when it was transformed into Stanton Italian Table – a family operated business in Hunterdon County.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother\u2019s there, my sons\u2019s there,\u201d Carlisi said. \u201cI wanted to bring good, real food to Hunterdon county which is where I\u2019ve lived for the past 10 years. I wanted to bring fresh flavors. I\u2019m different. I never say I\u2019m better, I\u2019m different.\u201d<\/p>\n
The interior of the artisanal style restaurant is \u201csmall and quaint,\u201d according to Carlisi. The inside seats about 40 people and the patio seats about 70.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hunterdoneats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/SIT-2-1-300x105.jpg\")
<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Carlisi clearly has a love and passion for creating delicious food, but he prides himself on what he does for the community – specifically for holidays.<\/p>\n
Stanton Italian Table does a yearly Thanksgiving feast and a traditional 7 fish on Christmas Eve. Most recently, the restaurant delivered Easter dinner and Easter baskets to about 200 families around Hunterdon County.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got to see a bunny bring them a basket and it didn\u2019t cost them $80 for a 3×5,\u201d Carlisi said.<\/p>\n
The restaurants community outreach doesn\u2019t exist solely around holidays, though. A few days ago he held a fundraiser for first responders in the street.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hunterdoneats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/SIT-3-300x105.jpg\")
<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cI push the envelope – I\u2019m not afraid to do things,\u201d Carlisi said.<\/p>\n
When talking about how Stanton Italian Table has been affected by the coronavirus he said it\u2019s been \u201cdifferent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like online ordering, delivery, and preparing daily meals is not something that was in the business model per se,\u201d Carlisis said. \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of toned down our techniques. Obviously things that go well on a plate don\u2019t go well in a take out container.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Stanton Italian Table also offered grocery delivery for awhile – that\u2019s since tapered off – and prepared meals in single portions so people could send them to their friends and loved ones who weren\u2019t able to leave their homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to take care of our own,\u201d Carlisi said. \u201cThe humanless contact sometimes left room for error and stress, but we\u2019ve managed it pretty well and mastered what we could.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant often uses #takingcareoftheneighborhood on social media.<\/p>\n
Carlisi said during most of the stay at home order Stanton Italian Table tried to broaden the spectrum and reach of what they normally do to \u201cmake sure everyone was safe and taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gave away free toilet paper for a month just to make sure people had it,\u201d Carlisi said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unusual for a restaurant to do giveaways like that, but Carlisi cares deeply about the community he calls home. Stanton Italian Table, like everyone, has had to adjust throughout New Jersey\u2019s stay-at-home-order, but they can\u2019t wait for \u201ceveryone to come and SIT down with us and have a meal they will never forget\u201d soon.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n