A Des Moines staple known for its old-school Italian fare may soon have to rethink its signature ingredient if steep new federal duties make imported pastas too costly.

For nearly eight decades, Noah’s Ark Restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue has taken pride in exclusively serving pasta made in-house or imported from Italy. James Lacona, the restaurant’s current caretaker and great-grandson of founders Noah and Sally Lacona, said pasta is as central to the menu as steak is to a steakhouse.

“It’s our main staple,” he said. “If the price goes up, either we have to import it and pay the piper, or we’ll have to find an American company that makes them.”

The U.S. Commerce Department is proposing an antidumping duty of about 91.74% on Italian pasta exporters after a government probe found La Molisa

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