Dylan J Kerr | Portfolio

Ossi Pasta Co.

Small-batch, original pasta

2026

An obsession that led somewhere new

In 2025, I set out to spend more time away from screens, working with my hands and exploring something I loved with no expectations. What began as learning to make traditional pasta shapes led me to discover what other forms were possible through pasta dough.

Practice makes progress

By learning how traditional shapes were made, I discovered the limitations and possibilities of shaping dough- what makes the classics work. I went through dozens of recipes, tried different flours, egg versus water, and pushed every variable I could find. What I was really chasing was a shape that felt like mine, one influenced by my own life and where I come from.

An original pasta shape inspired by the Sonoran Desert

Growing up in Arizona, unique nature surrounded and influenced me without me even knowing it- shaping how I think and how I design. I was always fascinated by the skeletal structure of cacti, but it was the cholla cactus that always caught my eye. I had found my inspiration. Then came the real challenge: how do you actually form that shape from dough?

Creating a new product to create a new product

With a background in industrial design, I knew exactly where to start. I sketched, built 3D models, and printed prototype after prototype- eventually landing on a lattice cutter device fitted with custom food-grade stainless steel gears- each one designed with precise arc lengths to create exactly the right size holes.

Setting up to scale

With my tools ready and recipes dialed in, I could finally start making the pasta in large batches. But a product needs a home and a name. I called the brand Ossi, drawn from the Italian word for bones- a nod to the skeletal forms of the cacti that inspired it all. The shape itself I named Spinetti, meaning little spines, a direct reflection of the cholla cactus it was born from.

With all the tools necessary for me to create this noodle and my recipes finely tuned, the hardest work could begin: creating a bunch of pasta by hand! Before I started aimlessly laboring away making pounds of pasta, this noodle needed a place to be stored in- and an identity!

What's next for Ossi Pasta in 2026

Shortly after making my first 20 bags of Ossi Pasta and distributing them to friends and family, I moved from Arizona to the San Diego area which put all things pasta on hold. Currently, I am re-establishing my cottage food handlers license and my goal is to sell Spinetti at local farmer's markets.

If you are interested in trying some for yourself or want to learn more, please reach out to me at my personal email, or at dylan@ossipasta.com, follow my instagram @ossipasta or visit ossipasta.com to check for upcoming farmer's market dates.

Thank you!

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