In 2007, Brooklyn-born Joe Scaravella took a risk. A public servant working for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Joe decided to open a restaurant on Staten Island following his mother’s death. In memory of his mother, he named the restaurant Enoteca Maria.
In a surprising twist, Joe decided that instead of calling upon the best young commercial chefs to run his kitchen, he hired the best culinary experts he knew: nonnas.
Two decades later, Joe’s story has been brought to life on screen in the new Netflix comedy, Nonnas.
The film, which dropped on the streaming platform yesterday, stars Vincent Vaughn as Scaravella and follows the opening of the now-infamous restaurant.
Inspired by his connection to his mum and grandmothers (in Italian, “nonna“) through their cooking, Joe wants to recreate that nostalgic family feeling with his customers. Of course, like any family business, the film doesn’t shy away from showing the bickering, financial hurdles and community pushback as Joe fights to make his dream a reality.
Vaugh isn’t the only A-lister leading the series; in fact, the women who are the true stars of the show are Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, Lorraine Bracco, and Brenda Vaccaro.
Is Nonnas Based A True Story?
Yes. Despite working at the MTA, Joe had a long admiration and love for his grandmother’s and mother’s cooking. However, as he got older, the dishes served by his family’s great matriarchs became fewer.
In 2006, Joe’s mother passed away, but what helped him through his grief was a dream to open a restaurant that immortalised her cooking and celebrated the women in his life.
What Restaurant Is Nonnas Based On?
The inspiration for the venue came while visiting a farmer’s market that Joe’s grandmother used to frequent in Staten Island. It was here that he came across an old building, which he bought with the money from his mother’s insurance money.
Before opening the restaurant, Joe had no experience running a business. Yet, with hard work and dedication, his dream eventually came to fruition when he officially opened the restaurant in 2007.
Named Enoteca Maria in memory of his late mother, today the restaurant is an institution of Staten Island. Portraits of Joe’s grandmother, mother, and sister, Domenica, Maria, and Mariana, can be hanging on the restaurant’s wall, a reminder of the uniting power of food.
Who Is The Owner Of Enoteca Maria?
At 69, Joe continues to run Enoteca Maria in Staten Island. Over the years, the restaurant has expanded and opened its doors to grandmothers of all backgrounds, each bringing their own cuisines to the table. Since 2015, grandmothers from Mexico, Peru, Ukraine, Pakistan, Japan, Poland, and Sri Lanka have been serving their signature dishes and are called “Nonnas of the World.”
To accommodate the growing staff, the restaurant now has two kitchens. One is for the Italian nonnas, and the other features a rotating staff that brings food from a different side of the world daily.
Careful to keep the true story of Nonnas alive in the on-screen version, Joe was involved in the making of the Netflix film. He shared personal anecdotes with the writers that made it into the script, adding a raw layer of emotion to the already heartwarming tale.
While restaurant demand has naturally increased after the show’s release, Joe will continue to take reservations by phone rather than online and have a dine-in-only policy.
Nonnas is streaming on Netflix now.
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