Many of our lives became static during the past year - these people chose new directions
Amanda Long, The Washington Post
March 2, 2021
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1of17Maria Milton, 34, former beverage manager, now owner of MarzDM Studio, Arlington, Va.Photo for The Washington Post by Stephen VossShow MoreShow Less
2of17Julye M. Williams, 43, founder of Project 2043, Silver Spring, Md.Photo for The Washington Post by Jabari JacobsShow MoreShow Less
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4of17Jamie Godfrey, 45, housewares designer and product developer, Dodgeville, Wis.Photo for The Washington Post by Sara StathasShow MoreShow Less
5of17Russell Beyer, 35, bartender, right, and partner Dan Toy, Arlington, Va.Photo for The Washington Post by Stephen VossShow MoreShow Less
(Updated at 2 p.m.) Pasta lovers can take a sigh of relief, because the new owner of Ruffino’s Spaghetti House doesn’t want to change a thing.
Mina Tawdaros recently bought the long-time Arlington institution at 4763 Lee Highway. Ruffino’s first opened in 1975, and has satisfied Italian food cravings with a menu that includes the standards, from pizza to linguini to chicken marsala.
“The pasta is amazing, but you should really try the chicken parmesan and the pizza,” said Tawdaros, who is fulfilling his American dream with the purchase.
“Owning this place has been my dream since I came to America in 2013,” said Tawdaros, a 30-year-old lawyer from Egypt who now lives in Ashburn. “I worked for very little money for a restaurant for five years, and then later I was a shuttle driver, but that dream never left me.”