The New York Restaurant Where Grandmas Run the Kitchen

(L to R) Maria Gialanella (“Nonna Maria”), Yumi Komatsudaira (“Nonna Yumi”), May Joseph (“Nonna Dolly”), and Ploumitsa Zimnis (“Nonna Ploumitsa”) at Enoteca Maria in Staten Island, N.Y. Adhiraj Chakrabarti

At Enoteca Maria, grandmas rule the kitchen.

Hailing from all over the globe—Argentina, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Taiwan—they come to cook at this tiny restaurant on Staten Island, New York—a stone’s throw away from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.