All foodies (almost) can agree on this. Even if you are a fan of enjoying rich foods served at restaurants prepared by expert professional chefs, at the end of the day, you always come back to your home-cooked food, especially if it is prepared by your mother or grandmother. A professional chef can ace a dish in the best way possible, taking your taste buds on a gastronomical adventure. However, a grandmother can transform a humble recipe into the best thing you will ever eat for the rest of your life, thanks to her secret ingredient, love. Building on this idea, Joe Scaravella opened a restaurant in New York where the kitchen is run not by professional chefs, but by grandmothers from around the world.
Scaravella started the restaurant as a way to honour his nonna, mother and sister who have all since passed. Scaravella opened the restaurant in 2007 and decided to name it 'Enoteca Maria', in his mother Maria's honor.
"It was grief-driven and I had no business plan. I had no experience. I never even worked in a restaurant, no idea what I was doing. And so it just kind of unfolded," Scaravella shared with Today.
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A Unique Concept Celebrating Homecooked Food
The now globally famous restaurant was an 85 per cent failure in the first six months, Scaravella told Travel + Leisure. "I was very malleable at the time," he said. "So, I threw myself into it and didn't care about the outcome. In that moment, I would have done anything."
But soon, the place found its patrons, who too were longing for that comforting joy of enjoying a meal prepared by their mother or grandmother.
A Professional Kitchen For Nonnas Around The World
When the place first opened, the kitchen only hired Italian nonnas. Now, the chefs also include grandmothers from Bangladesh, Algeria, Trinidad, Syria, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Belarus, Poland, and France.
"Many times, these women are empty nesters, their husbands have passed away. Their children have moved out," Scaravella told Today. "So, they're really looking for an outlet and they have it here. And you know, if they're not hugging me, they're hugging their customers."
The grandmothers are no less than professional chefs, with decades upon decades of cooking experience. They all learned how to cook from a very young age from their parents and possess the knowledge of their authentic cultural cuisines.
Also Read: Why You Should Preserve And Recreate Your Family Recipes
Honouring Knowledge Of Generations And Cultures
"It's that passage of knowledge from one generation to the next, which is really life," the restaurant owner told Travel + Leisure. "It's not only generational; it's cross-cultural because many times these ladies are from different backgrounds and don't even share a language."
The restaurant, which is currently open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, also has a "Nonnas Calendar" that tells customers which featured grandma will be in that night, just in case to want to dine when their favourite nonna is cooking.