Cherry Creek eatery owner fondly remembers the NBA star who ate there nearly every day

DENVER — During his five years as a Denver Nugget, Dikembe Mutombo could be counted on to block lots of shots, wag his finger – and eat at Pasta Pasta Pasta in Cherry Creek.

“This is my favorite spot here,” Mutombo said in an NBA-produced look at his off-the-court life. “This is where I eat almost every day.”

The restaurant closed several years ago, but Mutombo’s death left co-owner Patti Pathman sad – yet flooded with pleasant memories at the same time.

She recalled the day Mutombo walked in with piece of scrap paper from his car.

“He comes up to the counter and he takes it and just tosses it over our heads – and it lands, of course, in the trash can,” she recalled. “And we say, ‘Wow, looks like he has done it before,’ and he started laughing.”

He sometimes brought in other players, telling them what they should try from the menu.

And once Pathman invited the 7-foot-2 center to her home, not knowing whether he would accept the invitation – he did.

“He had a big black car with ‘DM 55’ on the plates, and he pulled in the neighborhood and within, you know, seconds people recognized him,” she said. “They saw the car, they saw the plates, they saw him.”

In no time, a Pied Piper scene played out.

“All the kids were running after his car, and he pulled it in the driveway and he gets out of the car,” she said.

He liked one feature of her home, Pathman said – its vaulted ceilings.

Mutombo hung out with one of her sons – and gave him a signed basketball and posters that he still owns.

There was another time that Mutombo ordered food from Pasta Pasta Pasta – and Pathman delivered to his home, which was customized for his 7-foot-2-inch frame.

“The countertops in the kitchen were made custom, and I could hardly reach the countertops to put the boxes of food on top – they were so high,” she said. “And then I thought that was very funny. I thought, well, if he moves, either he better sell it to a tall person or, or nobody’s gonna be able to work in the kitchen.”

But beyond the stories, Pathman remembered the kindness he showed to everyone.

“I can’t say enough nice things about the type of person he was,” she said. “He just was very gracious.”