Pasta Jay's restaurant in Boulder plays a role in CU Buffs' winning history
Pasta Jay's has been a dining destination on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall for more than 30 years. Jay Elowski opened the Italian restaurant in 1988 and knew right away that it was something special.
"It really was magic, it was nothing I've ever seen before or ever since. A little 1400 square foot house- we were just cranking it out all the time," said Elowski. "It was just God's blessing."
That same year, the University of Colorado's football team was having a winning season. Elowski sent CU a letter to express his thanks for the Buffs' role in his own success and offered to feed the team.
"We charged them $1 and the next week they called us back, 'Hey, will you feed us again?' The next week they called back, 'Hey will you feed us again?' The next week they called us back... and that kept going on and on," said Elowski.
That would be the beginning of years of running CU's training table and providing meals to all CU athletes. Those meals became a tradition that also fed a connection to the university and the football team.
"I think it was the first time Bill McCartney yelled at me, that's when I knew I was not just a donor anymore, I was part of the team. That has always been a story I tell when I give talks and stuff when he barked at me and I was like, 'Yes, I'm in... ha ha ha, I was happy about it," said Elowski.
He can laugh about the memories he's shared with eight different coaches he's worked with, including how a national championship trophy came to rest above the bar at Pasta Jay's.
"I opened this closet and there's this trophy sitting there, so I grabbed it and put it in the car, took it down to the restaurant, put it up in the restaurant. About a half hour later, I got a call from Darian Hagan. He says, 'You took the trophy.' There's a couple up there but he says, 'You took one of the national championship trophies.' I said, 'Yes, it's sitting here at the bar. Rick George is coming into dinner and if he wants it, he can take it back.' And that was 7 or 8 years ago," said Elowski.
He said his support of the team never waivered, "It's both a commitment if you are in the coaching industry, you're committed. If you are in the restaurant industry, there are no days off, so I see that and I appreciate that."
This year, he says, has a new energy around it, "We are going to win games... I know that."
Although Pasta Jay's is no longer officially feeding the team, Elowski still supports the Buffs, opening his doors for team dinners, events and big games. The same goes for Nebraska's return to Folsom Field this weekend. Elowski will feed approximately 1,100 students after the Pearl Street Stampede on Friday. It's a feat that is accomplished by the staff he calls family.
