Chef Amira Gharib's earliest childhood pasta memory conjures up a penne dish with beef and béchamel sauce. Gharib, who was born in New Jersey and lived there until she was 12 years old, spent her high school years in Cairo, Egypt. While there, she heard the word "béchamel" for the first time when her auntie made her an all-white sauce that was an Egyptian riff on Bolognese ("I thought it was an Arabic word!").

These days, Gharib, the executive chef of Soda Club, a new East Village wine bar that opened in May, is doing all the riffing. She is taking some of Italy's most iconic fresh pasta dishes, such as Lasagna Bolognese and Raviolo al Uovo, and turning out vegan versions.