Archive for the ‘Our Grandmas’ Category

Posted on April 28, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Meet the Women of the Enoteca

Our women come from different regions of Italy bringing with them the traditions of their towns, people, and cooking. They often return to the old country to visit with family.

The current lineup:

Adelena from Casola, Napoli
Carmelina from Marcianise, Napoli
Nina from Salerno, Campania
Rosaria from Chieti, Abruzzo
Rosa from Schio, Vicenza
Teresa from Agrigento, Sicilia
Valarie from Sciacca, Sicilia

Other grandmas who have cooked at Enoteca Maria:

Christina from from San Giuseppe Iato, Sicilia
Gaia from Milano, Lombardia

Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Teresa from Agrigento, Sicilia

From the first day she arrived at Enoteca Maria, Teresa Scalici took great pride in her role as a nonna in the restaurant. She says she feels like her own boss in the kitchen and even goes to the local market on Saturdays to pick out fresh vegetables. Working at the Enoteca is an extension of family and good food.

Born in the southern coastal town of Agrigento in Sicily, famous for its Greek architecture, Teresa started cooking at ten years of age when her nonna taught her to make fresh ravioli. She moved to New York City in 1966 with her husband.

She now enjoys teaching her thirteen-year old granddaughter how to cook the same recipes handed down to her from her nonna. Teresa particularly enjoys baking both sweet and savory deserts but her favorite recipe is her award winning Lasagna. Made with prosciutto, speck, eggplant, peas, ricotta and a mix of cheeses, her lasagna won the judges first place trophy at the Staten Island Community Resources Annual Pasta Bowl in 2008.

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Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Nina from Salerno, Campania

Anna Picariolo “Nina” was raised in Salerno, a southern town near the famed Amalfi Coast in the region of Campania. She loves cooking at the Enoteca because it feels like cooking at home and enjoys making people happy with her recipes. Back in the “old country” her grandmother cooked over a wood-burning stove. Nina especially enjoyed her oven-baked pasta.

She also learned a lot about cooking during her twenties from a cousin who owned a restaurant. But working in Italy was a difficult life, working many hours for little pay. She moved to New York City in March of 2003. Nina values her freedom here, the opportunity to learn more and adapt to a new culture. At home, she likes to cook with her eldest daughter.

At Enoteca Maria, Nina’s style lends itself to savory dishes such as her favorite Pesce alla Pasta (Fish with Pasta).

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Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Adelena from Casola, Napoli

Adelena 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.

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Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - 1 comment

Rosaria from Chieti, Abruzzo

Rosaria Montaldo, a proud grandmother of two, has been cooking at Enoteca Maria since June of 2008. She was born in the region of Abruzzo in a small town in the province of Chieti. The region is known for its agriculture and producing wine, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, olives, vegetables, fruits and dairy products. Traditional products are saffron and liquorice.

Rosaria remembers her grandmother’s cooking well, since she grew up living in the same house. Lamb is a popular dish in the Abruzzo region and Rosaria enjoys preparing Costolette d’Agnello all Griglia—grilled lamb chops. Her favorite pasta dish is Maccheroni alla Chitarra—macaroni pasta made on a guitar-like instrument—another staple of Abruzzese cooking.

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Posted on March 28, 2009 - by admin - 1 comment

Rosa from Schio, Vicenza

Rosa Lievore Turano was born in Schio, a provence of Vicenza located in the northern region of Veneto. She and her family moved to the United States on July 3, 1956, where they joined her father in Weehawken, NJ. Among her earliest food memories are her nonna preparing gnocchi and tortellini from scratch.

Rosa comes from a long tradition of food and recipes being shared and passed along from generation to generation. Though she remembers her nonna’s cooking, Rosa says that she actually learned to cook from her mother. As a child, Rosa would help her mom prepare pasta con Sugo di Pomodori e Tonno on Friday evenings. She also learned to make Fegato all Veneziana (calf’s liver) and her older sister showed her how to cook Osso Bucco.

Today, Rosa is grandmother to seven grandchildren. She shares her love of cooking with her two oldest, Briana and Nicholas. Rosa loves being able to share her family’s recipes with the hungry customers at Enoteca Maria.