This Italian Restaurant In New York Is Run By All-Grandmothers, Check Here!

We have always seen our grandmothers cook special delicacies for us when we visit them. The stereotypical society has bound grandmothers to home but these inspiring grandmothers from around the world are sharing the happiness of good food in New York City as they run a multi-cuisine restaurant.

Every family has a special dish that is the recipe of their grandmother that has passed on through generations as food legacy and is one of the most delicious things that could be made. These delicacy are considered legacy and become the highlight of a family get-together, still the grandmothers who devised them remain in the background. However, a group of grandmothers in America decided that they won't take a backseat just because they are senior citizens. These inspiring 'nonnas' are cooking and serving their recipes in an Italian restaurant that remains over-booked always.

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Grandmothers Run Restaurant In New York

In New York's Staten Island, an Italian wine bar and restaurant named Enoteca Maria is run by 88-years old Maria Gialanella and her group of old age ladies from around the world. The matriarchs bring different cuisines to plate in this popular restaurant and display that they won't sit back and watch just because they have crossed 60. These matriarchs from different parts of the world, known as 'nonnas of the world', cook regularly at restro and add international dishes from their cuisine to the menu.

Maria Gialanella is one of the most popular chefs at the restaurant and sometimes, people visit only on days she is cooking. In 1961, she moved to the States and has been working in Enoteca Maria for last 10 years. A grandmother of six, she came to know about the restaurant through her daughter who encouraged her to work here as a cook. The owner of the restaurant, Joe Scaravella, said, "She is not even 5 feet tall, but she’s a powerhouse...She goes around and does selfies. She spends the night hugging people."

Restaurant is never short of customers, in fact it is really hard to get a seat at the eatery and people have to make reservations weeks prior to when they want to visit. After the food is served, the customers clap for the nonnas that work in the kitchen. Initially the restaurant only hired Italian grandmothers as chef, however, soon the criteria was broadened to include women from different cultures of age 50 to 90 years who have deep knowledge of their cuisine.

The women don't necessarily have to be a grandmother like Yumi Komatsudaira who cooks traditional Japanese cuisine. Komatsudaira is in her mid-50's and has a 17-year-old son, but she likes the designation of 'nonna' given to her. There are nonnas from Greece, Hong Kong, Poland, India, Taiwan, Egypt, Argentina and Brazil who cook different cuisines in the restaurant.