Staten Island Culinary Landmark

Enoteca Maria: Where Global Grandmothers Rule the Kitchen

Staten Island, New York, United States

By the Wicked Cool Places editors · Published Wed, Mar 18, 2026 · Updated Sat, Jul 25, 2026

Why it’s cool

Instead of professional chefs, this unique eatery features a rotating roster of grandmothers from around the globe who prepare their most cherished family recipes for the public.

Northeast Boutique

While many restaurants claim to offer home-style cooking, Enoteca Maria on Staten Island takes the promise literally. There are no star-studded resumes or culinary school degrees here; instead, the kitchen is helmed by a rotating cast of grandmothers who have spent decades perfecting the flavors of their own family tables.

This is food made with genuine affection and decades of practice, served in an environment that feels more like a dining room than a commercial establishment.

Why It Stands Out

The concept was born from grief when owner Joe Scaravella sought to recreate the comforting presence of his late mother. He initially staffed the restaurant with Italian "nonnas," but the project evolved in into "Nonnas of the World." Today, the menu is a living archive of global heritage.

On any given night, you might find a grandmother from Syria working alongside one from Venezuela or Japan. The kitchen operates with two grandmothers at a time, one acting as the lead chef and the other as her sous chef, allowing for a cross-cultural exchange of techniques and stories.

The roster of cooks has included women from over a dozen countries, including Liberia, Kazakhstan, and the Czech Republic, ensuring that the flavors are as diverse as the borough itself. This diversity makes it a standout destination in the Northeast.

Before You Go

Enoteca Maria is located just a short walk from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, positioned right next to the historic St. George's Theatre.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner from Thursday through Sunday. Because the "nonna" in the kitchen changes frequently, the menu is always in flux, supplementing the house's Italian staples with international specialties.

For those looking to learn these traditional secrets, the restaurant offers women-only cooking classes, though these are highly sought after and typically require booking several months in advance.

Questions worth answering

Who's actually running the kitchen?

We don't see any culinary school diplomas here. Instead, the owner hires grandmothers from different countries to cook their own family recipes.

Is the food always Italian?

While Italian dishes are always available, the menu changes constantly to include global flavors. You'll find two different women working together, often bringing techniques from places like Syria, Japan, or Liberia.

How do we find the place from the ferry?

Walk past Borough Hall and head up Hyatt Street. The restaurant sits right beside the historic St. George's Theatre.

Can we learn to cook like the nonnas?

There are classes for women, but you'll need to plan ahead. These sessions usually book up several months before the actual dates.

Visit Snapshot

The restaurant is situated next to St. George's Theatre.

To reach it from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, cross Bay Street and take the Borough Hall steps up to Hyatt Street. Service is available Thursday through Sunday for both lunch and dinner.

Location

Staten Island, New York

Know before you go

From the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, walk straight across Bay Street up the steps of Borough Hall onto Hyatt Street. It's right next to St.

George's Theatre. Enoteca Maria is open Thursday–Sunday for lunch and dinner.

Editorial source

Nonnas of the World

The highest praise a cook can receive is that their meal “tastes just like grandma’s.” Enoteca Maria takes this concept to the next level—not because it employs professionally trained master chefs, but because a different grandmother heads the kitchen every night. The project came about after owner Joe Scaravella lost his mother in the early s.

When he opened Enoteca Maria two years later, Scaravella staffed his kitchen with Italian grandmothers ("nonnas") to create a feeling of homey comfort in his restaurant. In July of , Scaravella invited a Pakistani nonna to cook for a night.

From there, the program expanded into "Nonnas of the World," and he invited nonnas from all backgrounds to create a second, constantly-changing menu to supplement the restaurant's specialty of Italian fare. Although some of the nonnas hail from Staten Island , most come from Brooklyn .

Others travel from New Jersey and the Bronx to share their family’s culinary history. Their food comes from all over the world though.

To date, Nonnas of the World has featured cooks from Japan , Syria , France , Bangladesh , Venezuela , Poland , Greece , Turkey , Liberia , Kazakhstan , the Dominican Republic , Czechia , Belarus , Pakistan , and of course, Italy , just to name a few. Two nonnas work in the kitchen at any given time, one as the head chef, the other as her sous chef.

This means a South American nonna and a Middle Eastern nonna could be working side by side in the kitchen, learning from each other's recipes. Cooking classes are offered as well—for women only, many of whom are grandmothers themselves—and get booked months in advance.

It's another opportunity for cross-cultural recipe sharing, as well as a chance to eat food made with love.

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