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Viral TikTok Star Katie Brooks on Hand-Making Gnocchi on a Plane

Today, the Buona Pasta Club founder hosts one of the city’s most exclusive (and most delicious) supper clubs

By Jackie Bryant November 13, 2025

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES Know the Neighborhood Where to eat, where to drink, and what it's like to live there. EXPLORE THE GUIDES

You’ve probably seen the video: A woman casually hand-rolling gnocchi on a cross-country flight, dusting flour across her tray table like it’s just another day in the friendly skies. That woman is Katie Brooks, founder of Buona Pasta, and she joins Happy Half Hour co-hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant on this week’s episode to talk about how a mid-air pasta moment went viral—and how it all started long before that flight. From leaving behind a stable corporate job to honoring her parents through handmade Italian recipes, Katie shares the story of building her business and her following, feeding strangers out of her Ocean Beach apartment, and turning a doughy side hustle into a full-time dream featuring a cookbook.

About Jackie Bryant

Jackie is a long-time freelance journalist covering cannabis, food/restaurants, travel, labor, wine, spirits, arts & culture, design, and other topics. Her work has been selected twice for Best American Travel Writing, and she has won a variety of national and local awards for her writing and reporting.

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