We are living in a golden age of pasta. For the last couple of years, various forms of la cucina Italiana have powered more new restaurants than any other. Here in New York, from the spicy vodka rigatoni at Carbone to the pink peppercorn malfadini at Lilia, Italian food—specifically, pasta—has become incongruously the food in this gluten-free environment that chefs work hardest on, gets the most buzz, and garners the most outrageous play on social media.

If we were handing out awards for Pasta King of New York, the winner would be Mark Ladner. Since 2005, he’s been the chef at Mario Batali’s fine-dining temple, Del Posto, the city’s first four-star Italian restaurant in recent history and one with $20 million annually in sales. Now Ladner is leaving to focus on a fast-casual concept, appropriately called Pasta Flyer.