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Jody Scaravella started his Staten Island restaurant, Enoteca Maria, as more of a passion project for himself than a restaurant.
“Back in the beginning, it was a way for me to heal. I lost my grandparents and parents and other family and I was trying to find a way to comfort myself. I was trying to recreate that feeling of being cared for and loved,” said Scaravella, who started the restaurant in 2007.
In this restaurant, actual grandmothers, or “nonnas” in Italian, from around the world are hired as chefs to cook the recipes handed down to them — sometimes for multiple generations — which allows them to pass down the fabric of the culture they were born and raised in, Scaravella said.
“The food they make they had made for them as little girls. It’s part of them and now they’re sharing that love and knowledge and passing it down here,” Scaravella said.
Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, an Italian nonna and a nonna from a different country prepare their homemade meals. The women rotate and create their own menus.
Nonna Maria, of Torella dei Lombardi in Campania, Italy, has worked at Enoteca Maria for 11 years. She is 89 and says she still loves to work.
“I like the people. I like to cook. But mostly I like the people,” said Nonna Maria, who declined to give her last name. “My grandmother showed me and now I’m showing the people the beautiful food.”
The chefs create their own menus: Nonna Maral from Azerbaijan (L) and Nonna Christina from Italy.
Enoteca Maria
Recent entrees included capuzzelle — lamb’s head roasted with fresh herbs, vegetables and baked with white wine; branzino al cartoccio — Mediterranean sea bass baked in parchment paper with a lemon-herb sauce; lasagna, and braised bone-in duck.
This month, nonnas from Italy, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico are scheduled to cook at the restaurant, named after Scaravella’s late mother.
“We have nonnas from all over the world. People contact us and want to be a part of this. We’re never at a loss for finding a nonna,” Scaravella said.
The restaurant holds classes where aspiring chefs get the opportunity to learn from the nonnas in the kitchen. Jars of specialty sauces are available for sale, an effort that was started when the restaurant was closed during COVID-19 and continues now.
Scaravella also started a virtual cookbook project that collects the recipes and stories of grandmothers from around the globe called “Nonnas of the World.” The crowdsourced recipe book allows anyone around the world to upload a short biography of their grandmother, three photos and a recipe written in their native language. Scaravella’s vision was to preserve the recipes, dialect and memories, from all over the world.
The restaurant, which runs three seatings on the days of operation, has 30 seats and takes reservations.
“Whether it’s Italy or Japan, the nonnas come and provide food and comfort and history. It’s more than a restaurant,” Scaravella said.
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