Recreating the recipes his mother taught him back in Bergamo, he launched Pota Pasta and began selling authentic Italian gnocchi, tagliatelle and ravioli in market stalls across the Riverina.

After two rollercoaster years, which included a huge growth in popularity and even a brief move back to Melbourne, Mr Rota is now upgrading to a permanent location in East Wagga.

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Pota Pasta will be opening next week in the bright green building which was previously Terri's Cafe at the Homebase Centre.

"It's very overwhelming and there's definitely a lot of happiness," Mr Rota said.

"You never know what the reaction is going to be but there has been a beautiful response."

The former takeaway joint will be transformed into a traditional Italian cafe, selling a "premium line" of handmade pasta and paninis made in-house by Mr Rota.

The business will also offer a "price-conscious" selection of imported dried pasta and sauces for people to take home and cook.

"If you came to my home in Italy, my mum would make pasta for you and it's pretty much the same as what I will be selling," Mr Rota said.

"I am pretty much importing the culture of Italy ... but also using 99 per cent Australian products."

Mr Rota is hopeful the store will take his business to the next level and help fill a significant gap in the Wagga market.

"I have been told many times that there is no good pasta in Wagga and I know the city doesn't have any authentic Italian cafe or anything," he said.

"When you don't have that and then you get to try something which is made with that authentic Italian method it is a completely different experience."

The Italian plans to eventually host the occasional dinner night out of the venue as well.

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