"It’s a celebration through food" — Joe Manganiello explains how Nonnas got inspired by 'a restaurant run by grandmas'
Nonnas is a comedy-drama film that was released on Netflix on May 9, 2025. The film is based on the life of Joe Scaravella, owner of the restaurant Enoteca Maria in Staten Island, New York. In the establishment, nonnas (Italian for grandmothers) from across the world cook food following their own age-old family recipes.
Vince Vaughn plays Scaravella in the film, while Joe Manganiello stars as his best friend, Bruno. In an exclusive by People published on May 9, Joe Manganiello said:
“I love the fact that we made something with so much heart. It’s a celebration through food."
He also added:
“Vince and I got to actually go to the restaurant and be served by the nonnas and have dinner with the real life Bruno and Joe, and so we got to hang out with those two guys for the night.”
Scaravella came up with the concept of the restaurant after he missed the taste of home-cooked, authentic Italian meals following the death of his grandmother, Domenica, and mother, Maria. Enoteca Maria has been open since March 2007, eighteen years before becoming the inspiration behind the Netflix film.
Nonnas is all about family, love, and food
Both the restaurant and the Netflix film based on it revolve around love, family, and good food at the heart of it. Nonnas is directed by Stephen Chbosky, whose wife, Liz Maccie, serves as a co-writer. The working grandmothers are played by Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, and Talia Shire.
For many of them, embodying their characters was a deeply personal experience, as they were grandmothers themselves.
“I am a nonna. I have three grandchildren, and it's the best part of me,” Bracco told People, adding about the cast, “We love each other. We are together. I mean, food is love. A friendship is love. Family is love. And I really hope that people walk away feeling that.”
Scaravella explained that his real-life staff has a lot of love to share, as most of them are ladies whose husbands have passed away and whose kids have grown up and moved out. He claims that his restaurant provides an outlet to share that love and the culture.
“They're so full of love, they hug me and the customers. I just tried to recreate that part of my life that was gone. This is like therapy for me,” Scaravella said.
How to watch the Nonnas?
The film has a runtime of 114 minutes and is currently available for digital streaming exclusively on Netflix.
As of January 2025, subscription plans of the platform begin at $7.99 per month, with ads. Viewers can also upgrade to the standard ad-free plan priced at $17.99 per month or the premium plan that allows 4K streaming at $24.99 per month.
Cast member of Netflix's Nonnas
The cast is led by Vince Vaughn as Joe Scaravella, a bereaved New Yorker who, in remembrance of his mother, starts an Italian restaurant with lively grandmothers working there. Joe Manganiello plays his devoted friend Bruno, and Cardellini plays Olivia, Joe's former prom date and legal assistant.
The supporting actors in the show are listed as follows:
- Lorraine Bracco as Roberta
- Talia Shire as Teresa
- Brenda Vaccaro as Antonella
- Drea de Matteo as Stella
- Michael Rispoli as Al
- Campbell Scott as Edward Durant
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