Is Nonnas based on a true story? Details explored
Nonnas is a comedy-drama film written by Liz Maccie and directed by Stephen Chbosky. Released on May 9, 2025, the story follows Joe Scaravella, who, after the death of his mother, decides to open an Italian restaurant. However, stepping into the culinary business comes with its own set of challenges.
Based on a true story of NYC restaurant owner Joe Scaravella, the film is available exclusively on Netflix. Here is the official synopsis:
"After losing his beloved mother, a man risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas — grandmothers — as the chefs."
It features Susan Sarandon, Joe Manganiello, Vince Vaughn, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, and Linda Cardellini in prominent roles.
Nonnas is based on a true story
The film tells a fictionalized version of the inception of Enoteca Maria, a popular restaurant located at 27 Hyatt St, Staten Island, New York. The restaurant was founded by Joe Scaravella in 2007. In an interview with TIME magazine, published on May 9, 2025, Joe described the restaurant as a "cultural exchange."
The movie opens with Joe Scaravella's childhood and how his mother's and grandmother's recipes shape his life. When he loses his mother, Maria, he is left purposeless with just two well-meaning friends by his side, but no family.
However, while walking through an Italian market in Staten Island, Joe finds a place for sale and gets the idea of opening a restaurant where people would be able to enjoy authentic Italian food cooked by nonnas with generations of experience in their hands. He hires three nonnas, Roberta, Teresa, and Antonella—played by Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro, respectively.
However, running a new restaurant comes with its own problems. He has almost no money to pay for the construction after buying the place. His permit for occupancy gets rejected due to a fire in the kitchen, and after the restaurant opens, no real customers show up for weeks.
How does Joe manage to keep the restaurant running?
Despite one obstacle after the other, Joe Scaravella is persistent in making his dream come true. In his pursuit, he finds himself a small family that cares for him and shares his dream. Joe's childhood friend, Olivia, a law student, helps him with the permit to open the place to the public.
Joe's motivation to open the restaurant is to make people without family feel like they have one. His friends, Bruno and Stella, are hesitant to encourage him, as it would mean using all the insurance money. However, they later appreciate the idea of hiring real Italian grandmothers as chefs, who carry the specialty and uniqueness of their heritage in their food.
However, despite having delicious food, there is no one to serve for many weeks. The grand opening day is washed out in a storm, and the following days are also the same. Antonella realizes that Al, a local who dislikes the idea of an outsider opening a restaurant in his area, encourages people not to go to Enoteca Maria. She confronts him for his actions.
Joe makes a last attempt to get a popular critic to try Enoteca Maria, but comes back disappointed. Joe gives up and decides to shut the place down, but not without inviting all his friends and family to taste the incredible food. The nonnas' art is met with a loud round of applause. Fortunately, the critic taste the food as well and write a heartwarming piece on Enoteca Maria, encouraging people to try their food.
This seems enough for Joe to continue his pursuit. Today, the real-life Enoteca Maria restaurant successfully serves customers daily at 27 Hyatt St, Staten Island. The place is active on Instagram with 48.1K followers.
Stay tuned for more news and information on Nonnas and other such upcoming films and TV shows on Netflix.
