The NYC Restaurant That Only Employs Grandmas As Chefs

There are countless restaurants in New York City with innovative menus and incredible chefs who perfectly execute every dish that comes out of their kitchens. However, if you're looking for a unique experience, one particular NYC restaurant taps into the public's penchant for true, cozy home cooking by employing a rotating cast of grandmothers as the chefs — Enoteca Maria.

From old school ingredients your grandma swore by, like lard and molasses, to hosting tips that ensured every gathering was a success, grandmothers who know their way around a kitchen can create a dining experience like no one else. You can reap the benefits of all that knowledge by sampling the tasty fare at the Staten Island spot. There are, however, a few quirks to keep in mind as you plan your visit. 

First, as the restaurant's website highlights, it's open three days a week: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You unfortunately won't be able to get a mid-week comfort food pick-me-up. And, the place only accepts cash, so you'll need to ensure you arrive at the restaurant with a handful of bills rather than just your credit card. Once you have the logistics sorted, though, you can prepare to be impressed by whichever nonna is in the kitchen that particular night, flexing their culinary creativity.

When dining at Enoteca Maria, you can guarantee that the food you receive will be cooked with love and skill, but that's about all you can guarantee. The grandma who is taking the reins in the kitchen on any particular day decides what's on the menu. However, if you want a sneak peek before your visit or simply to get an idea of the types of dishes you might encounter, the restaurant has the daily menu available online. It also has a nonnas of the world calendar, so you'll be able to see what type of cuisine will be coming out of the kitchen, based on whether the nonna on duty is from Egypt, Peru, Argentina, or any other corner of the world. As a bonus for Italian food enthusiasts, there are always Italian nonnas whipping up tasty fare for every seating.

Culinary greats like Lidia Bastianich have reminisced about how cooking with their grandmothers honed their skills in the kitchen. If you're interested in not just enjoying a particular nonna's home cooking but also learning more from her, you may want to check out the Nonnas in Training program. The popular initiative has a months-long wait list and gives interested home cooks a chance to converse with the nonna of the day, learning all her tips and tricks honed over decades in the kitchen.