As someone who has helped make TV programmes for Netflix, Otello Calvert knows all about presentation.
His black-and-yellow pasta truck – called Tagliotello after its owner – is a highly visible presence on the streets of Inverness.
At the same time, the pasta dishes Otello serves from inside the truck look absolutely perfect. No wonder they are a big hit on his Instagram account, racking up hundreds of views.
But, as all good presenters know, the end product is only as good as the hard work that goes into it.
Which is why Otello is up every morning to make the fresh pasta he uses for every dish from the Tagliotello truck.
“No one else really does what I do,” Otello says. “I make all my pasta fresh on the day and I make everything in the trailer.”
What food is on offer in Inverness fresh pasta truck Tagliotello?
The Tagliotello truck makes nightly stops at different locations around Inverness, with Otello serving up a range of dishes. Fancy some fresh pasta in an arrabbiata sauce or a southern Italian-style sausage ragu? Otello is your man.
He admits that his dishes are not the usual takeaway truck fare. He always uses fresh ingredients from local producers, and dabbles in a variety of regional Italian dishes.
“This is not your usual macaroni cheese or carbonara,” he says.
It’s a difference that has cost him the chance to compete in some takeaway awards.
“They said I was too much like fine-dining,” Otello explains – but the cost is ultimately worth it for his loyal customers that seek him out around the city.
As for why he started up the truck, he jokes he was harassed into it. After studying TV & film production at university and working on shows for platforms and studios including Netflix and Universal, he came to Inverness to work for a landscaping business.
“I was the person that would volunteer for friends at parties or something, so I would cook up a bolognaise or pizza – but always from scratch,” says the 26-year-old, who is originally from Glasgow but has lived around the UK.
“Eventually, everyone told me I could do something with this.”
Watch Otello make fresh pasta for his Tagliotello Inverness food truck
The recipes comes from the Italian heritage on his mother’s side, but the fresh daily pasta is all his idea.
“I said to myself, what can I do that’s affordable, and what do people like? I decided that what people wanted in Inverness was fresh pasta.”
Otello makes an effort to reach as much of Inverness as possible. He’s at the Westlink Bypass every Thursday, for example.
Meanwhile, the three other nights of the week he is in rotating spots such as the Aldi car park at Inshes or Beauly Old Laundry. Otello posts a full list of his whereabouts on his Instagram.
Operating hours in the summer are from 5pm to about 8pm and dishes start at £5, going up to £12 for the most expensive dishes.
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