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After the death of his mother, a grieving man named Joe decides to honor her and his grandmother. Using his mother's insurance money and a legacy letter, he sets out to build a unique community haven. He opens an Italian restaurant named Enoteca Maria in Staten Island, but with a twist: the kitchen is staffed entirely by real grandmothers (Nonnas) cooking their own traditional, regional family recipes. The movie explores themes of grief, intergenerational connection, and finding comfort and shared community through food.

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Trivia

Although the real Enoteca Maria is still in operation in its Staten Island, New York location, filming of the restaurant actually took place at Spirito’s, the now-closed world famous restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After having been open since 1932, Spiritos closed for good in 2020 and was neglected for many years. The film’s art department redesigned and renovated the space inside and out before filming began.

The real Enoteca Maria, located in Staten Island, New York was founded by the actual Jody Scaravella in 2007. Initially featuring Italian nonnas, the restaurant expanded in 2015 to include grandmothers from various cultures, offering a diverse culinary experience. Scaravella’s vision was to honor his family’s legacy and provide a platform for grandmothers to share their traditional recipes and stories.

According to the recipe for Sunday Gravy, the secret ingredient his nonna used was apples. Specifically, the recipe lists the following ingredients:

2 red apples, quartered
7 cups water
6 links hot or sweet Italian sausage
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 (14.5-ounce cans) whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried or fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon dried or fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley