Meet The Noodle Guy
Port Williams eatery mixes great food and atmosphere
From his backyard overlooking the Minas Basin, Ross Patterson reflects on three decades in the food service industry. The journey began as a cook in a London, Ont. eatery, from where he worked his way up through kitchen manager, beverage manager, general manager, area manager for a chain, and restaurant owner.
“I’ve pretty much done it all, but a large percentage of it was in – or around – the kitchen,” he recounts. “I’ve created menus and co-ordinated national purchasing programs.”
But it was while travelling in Spain with his wife Erin that his vision for what ultimately became The Noodle Guy began to take shape, as they soaked in the atmosphere of the local tapas bars.
“It was like they combined all the best attributes of a coffee shop and a pub,” he recalls. “It’s a place for people to meet – usually later in the evening – with inexpensive wine and inexpensive food. There’s a buzz of conversation, and it actually makes you want to learn Spanish.”
After the Pattersons moved to Wolfville in 2001 he worked in various establishments, and also did a nineyear stint at the Michelin plant. By about 2010, Patterson was ready to get back into the restaurant business.
Although he is not Italian, his affinity for pasta dates back to his youth in a predominantly Roman Catholic neighbourhood in Thornhill, Ont.
“There were a lot of first and second generation Italians, so I had a background in pasta as a staple food item from a grassroots level,” he says. “I knew how to cook Asian noodles as well.”
The Noodle Guy began as a stand at the Wolfville Farmers’ Market in 2010, from which Patterson sold handmade pasta. He began with raw pasta, but quickly switched to pre-cooked when it became apparent that spending several hours at room temperature did not have a positive impact on raw pasta. He handed out recipe cards with items that people could find at the market. Sales quickly took off.
“People could do their own thing with it, so they were invested in the product,” he recalls. “The noodles were already tossed in olive oil and were cooked that day. So it was really fresh.”
The following year a small storefront was opened in Port Williams. Three years later The Noodle Guy had outgrown that venue and moved to its current Port Williams location at 964 Main St. as a full-service restaurant.
The Noodle Guy has been rated best restaurant in Nova Scotia by both The Chronicle Herald and Curated Magazine. The Noodle Guy name reflects the fact that while spaghetti is still noodles, Asian noodles are not pasta.
“I knew we were going to use the absolute best ingredients, but not take ourselves too seriously with the name.”
While The Noodle Guy is a popular restaurant, it also sells take-home pasta and sauces of all kinds, and a selection of olive oils, vinegars, coffee, and other local products.
The place is a humming hub, and it’s not uncommon for students to bring their parents along to enjoy the music and social scene.
“It has the tapas bar vibe, where you can come out and meet people, and have a plate of ravioli with a glass of Nova Scotia wine,” Patterson says. “The combination of food and atmosphere amplifies both.”