“We are not chefs. We are just grandmothers (who are) sharing our culture,” Maral Tseylikman said as she sat in the dining room at Enoteca Maria, where she’s worked for seven years.
The Staten Island, New York eatery follows a single idea: no one cooks more heartfelt meals than a grandmother.
The restaurant features a rotating cast of grandmothers — or nonnas — who prepare the dishes they’ve cooked for their families for generations.
Three of Enoteca Maria’s grandmotherly staff: Maral Tseylikman from Azerbaijan, May “Dolly” Joseph from Sri Lanka and Maria Gialanella from Italy.
On March 8, TODAY’s Donna Farizan visited the restaurant.
She met some of the grandmothers who cook dinner there three nights a week.
The menu switches depending on which nonnas are on duty.
Some nights follow a regular Italian menu.
Other nights showcase a variety of each grandmother’s native cuisine.
“I’m making lasagna. I’m making meatball. I’m making rabbit. I’m making so much fish, everything,” Maria Gialanella told Donna.
Donna spoke with chefs and grandmothers Maral Tseylikman from Azerbaijan, Maria Gialanella from Italy, and May “Dolly” Joseph from Sri Lanka.
Each of them has cooked at Enoteca Maria for at least seven years.
Gialanella has been serving there for a decade.
The interior of Enoteca Maria.
They described their camaraderie, the food they know best and the joy of serving customers.
They said friendships and happiness come with the job.
“Meeting people from different countries … there are so many people who come here from different countries. They hear about this place, and they come,” Joseph said.
Enoteca Maria’s grandmotherly staff serves a variety of dishes.
The women who cook there come from many countries.
They include chefs from Bangladesh, Algeria, Trinidad, Syria, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Belarus, Poland, France and many from Italy.
See the full list on the restaurant’s site here.
Owner Joe Scaravella launched the project partly to honor his Italian roots.
He named the restaurant for his mother, Maria, and opened the doors in 2007.
“Many times, these women are empty nesters, their husbands have passed away. Their children have moved out,” Scaravella told Donna. “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.”
Joe Scaravella seen behind the counter of his restaurant Enoteca Maria.
When Scaravella opened the restaurant in 2007 he named it 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 said.
Habiba Hachemi from Algeria in one of Enoteca Maria’s kitchens.
Soon after opening, Scaravella invited nonnas into the kitchen.
He first welcomed Italian grandmothers.
He expanded to grandmothers from around the world in July 2015.
The cooks bring decades of experience.
They learned to cook at a very young age from their parents.
They cook for their families and for everyone who walks in the door.
“Everybody, they’re kissing me. They wanna make a photograph with me,” Gialanella said. “Everybody say, ‘Oh, I love you, I’ll come again. I wanna see you again.’”
Two of Enoteca Maria’s chefs.
For fans who favor a particular nonna, the restaurant posts a Nonnas Calendar.
The calendar shows which featured grandma will cook each night.
Even with the attention and hugs, the grandmothers say they’ve already passed on their cooking skills to family.
“My son really like to cook,” Gialanella said. “My son, oh, fuhgeddaboudit.”
“My granddaughter, she was even about three years, and she crack eggs like professional,” Tseylikman said with a laugh.