A pasta-and-pavlova concept founded by two Tulane Law School graduates is opening inside the Lavin-Bernick Center food court on Tulane's Uptown campus, with a grand opening set for Monday that will include raffle prizes and other activities. Prima Après, run by James Vitrano and Abney Harper, serves pasta dishes with house-made sauces alongside pavlovas topped with seasonal fruit, chocolate, or other sweet options.
Both founders graduated from Tulane Law School in 2003, according to Tulane Law School. Their shared alumni connection is one part of a business story that has since extended from a Northshore storefront to campus dining and retail distribution.
From Mandeville Storefront to National Retail Shelves
Prima Après did not start as a campus concept. The business was originally launched as a Northshore dining establishment on North Causeway Boulevard in Mandeville, Louisiana, which served as the initial testing ground for its menu and brand before the company expanded into Baton Rouge and college campuses, according to 225 Magazine. The co-founders converted their Baton Rouge location at 5720 Corporate Boulevard into Prima Après in spring 2026 after litigation over a license agreement with New Orleans sweet shop brand Sucré prompted a strategic pivot, with Vitrano and Harper transitioning the space from Sucré licensees into their own proprietary brand.
Vitrano is listed on the team page for Dorset Partners LLC.
By spring 2026, Prima Après had scaled well beyond its storefronts. Its dried semolina pastas and pavlova dessert sets were selected for nationwide distribution through gourmet retailer Williams Sonoma, 225 Magazine reports, with the deal including direct consumer sales of dried pasta quad-packs and meringue pavlova kits.
A Proven Campus Dining Model
The Tulane location is not Prima Après' first foray into higher education dining. The company previously opened a venue on the second floor of Louisiana State University's Student Union in January 2026, following a fall 2025 pop-up series, according to The Daily Reveille. That LSU location serves customizable pasta options alongside pavlova desserts, the student paper notes, giving the Tulane rollout a tested blueprint to follow.
The brand name itself reflects its hybrid concept: Prima is Italian for “first,” and Après is French for “after,” capturing the founding culinary motto “Pasta first. Pavlova after,” per the same Daily Reveille report pairing savory Italian pasta entrees with light French meringue-based desserts. To reach broader daily dining crowds, the brand has also expanded its savory menu to include open-faced toasted sourdough cheddar sandwiches called toasties, soups, and proteins, alongside desserts like macarons and gelato, 225 Magazine reports, with that expansion arriving during the rebranding of its brick-and-mortar storefronts.
What Students Will Find Inside the Food Court
Tulane will host the new Prima Après location inside the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. The food court includes national quick-service chains and regional vendors such as Dunkin', Halal Shack, Wild Blue Sushi & Poke Bar, Pei Wei, and WOW American Eats, according to Tulane University Admission. The new counter joins that existing mix of campus dining options.
Using Wavebuck$ at the LBC
Tulane’s Dining Plans 101 guide says Meal Swipes and Wavebuck$ are loaded onto students’ Splash Cards and lists the LBC Food Court among on-campus retail locations where Wavebuck$ can be used. The guide identifies the food court as an eligible location; it does not specify payment eligibility at individual counters.
Tulane Dining spokesperson Matthew Fryou said the partnership is with a local Tulanian-founded business and that the restaurant offers a premium menu students will enjoy, according to Tulane Law School. Prima Après will hold its grand opening Monday, October 12, with activities and raffle prizes planned for students stopping by the new counter.
