Author Archive
Posted on September 21, 2010 - by Enoteca - Comments are off for this post
Home cooking with grandmas in the kitchen
By Christina Boyle
Daily News Staff Writer
A Staten Island restaurant with no head chef and no set menu is replacing “Bon Appetit” with “Mamma Mia!” The 35-seat Enoteca Maria takes home cooking to a whole new level by bringing in genuine Italian grandmothers to cook for customers. Each night, one of eight nonnas ties on an apron, checks out the ingredients in the refrigerator and rustles up a down-to-earth meal.
The women are from different regions of the pasta-loving nation who have no problem cooking restaurant-style after years of feeding big families. Tired of their husbands nitpicking over their specialties, they jumped at the chance to slave over a hot stove for grateful diners at the St. George eatery.
Read the whole story in the Daily News!
Cook Teresa Scalici at Enoteca Maria restaurant in Staten Island. Photo by James Kaivon/Daily News
Posted on September 18, 2010 - by Enoteca - Comments are off for this post
Figs and Wine in Staten Island
by Hannah Karp
The Wall Street Journal
On just a fifth of an acre, Mr. Scaravella’s garden overlooks the harbor, Brooklyn and the Verrazano Bridge. Every patch of soil is occupied by a wide variety of foods including arugula, watermelon-sized squash, peaches, figs and San Marzano tomatoes. Last year Mr. Scaravella found room to plant 30 Sangiovese vines; he spent much of this afternoon crawling up and down the hill weeding his little vineyard. Read the full story from the Wall Street Journal….
Posted on September 9, 2010 - by Enoteca - Comments are off for this post
The Matriarchs of Gourmet
Enoteca Maria celebrates Grandmas from every culture. Even during times of hardship they have fashioned gourmet meals from the simplest of ingredients, poverty driven dishes, which have become the jewels in the crown of many 5 star Michelin Chefs! They are the foundation on which all else is set. To all who stand tall on the shoulders of these Matriarchs, Enoteca Maria says, Sit down Sonny, Grandma’s here!
Posted on September 9, 2010 - by Enoteca - Comments are off for this post
Enoteca Featured on Rachael Ray Show
Enoteca Maria continues to attract significant media attention, this time from the Rachael Ray show. Her production crew visited the restaurant on a beautiful September Sunday while a 50th Anniversary dinner was in full swing. The four-person team taped various segments of grandmas preparing favorite recipes and later in the afternoon took their cameras to Joe and Val’s Numina biodynamic garden to check out the late summer harvest.
A few days later, Joe headed up to the Rachael Ray studios in Manhattan with five grandmothers in tow (Adelena, Nina, Valarie, Teresa, and Rosaria). Joe was interviewed by Rachael in front of a live audience while they rolled in the edited clip of the interviews from Sunday. The show aired on ABC TV on Friday, October 9 at 10am.
Check out the segment recorded at the Enoteca by Rachael Ray’s production crew on the Rachael Ray Daytime Talk Show site.
Posted on June 21, 2010 - by Enoteca - 1 comment
The Real Italian Housewives
By Amy Cao
OFF MANHATTAN
To surprise New Yorkers who have tasted it all, sometimes it takes a leap of faith—and a trip to Staten Island—to experience a meal that warms the belly and the soul. At Enoteca Maria, six women chefs (five of whom are also full time grandmas) from different regions of Italy take turns firing up the stove. What’s for dinner? Depends on who’s cooking and which ingredients nonna finds in the fridge. Goodbye, Predictability. Hello, Iron Chef: Italian Grandma.
Read the rest of the review at Off Manhattan.
Posted on March 28, 2010 - by Enoteca - 2 comments so far
Adelina from Casola, Napoli
Adelina Masana was born and raised in Naples, in the Campania region of Italy which is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy. She learned to cook from both of her grandmothers and her mother. She remembers the rustic Neapolitan cuisine of her childhood fondly. The first dish she learned to prepare was Pasta Fagioli and then a sweet classical dessert called Pastiera.
She came to America in 1990 and took up residence in Brooklyn. Her favorite recipe is Tagliatelle alla Mantavana, but she loves everything about preparing a full-course traditional dinner with pasta, salads, meat and dessert. Of her six children, it is one of her sons who carries on the tradition of cooking back home in Naples.
Posted on January 12, 2010 - by Enoteca - Comments are off for this post
Our Bloggers Love the Enoteca
Cindy Zhou from Chubby’s New York Food Diary has good things to say about Enoteca Maria.
I know what your thinking, all the way to Staten Island for food? Totally understand, I never thought I would say this either, but I truly found this gem a ferry ride away. People who are lucky enough to have a Nonna (Italian for grandma) always brag about how great their meal was. I’ve always been jealous, and tried to invite myself to such dinners, unsuccessfully. But hey, their nonnas got nothing on me anymore, I found 6 nonnas who will cook for me any night of the week at Enoteca Maria…beat that! Love owner Joe’s concept of having a different nonna cook traditional local dishes from family recipes each night. Every nonna is from a different region in Italy and everything is made fresh from scratch.
Read Cindy’s full review here.
Adelena’s Gratinado di Pollo. Photo by Cindy Zhou
Adelena’s Torta di Ricotta and Nutella. Photo by Cindy Zhou
