Come home to Mama's

From screen to plate this restaurant brings Italy to the heart of Johannesburg

- Lesego Chepape

recently watched a heartwarming film on Netflix called Nonnas.

It follows the story of Joe Scaravella who, after his beloved grandmother dies, finds a way to reconnect with her memory through food.

He stumbles through recreating some of her recipes, half remembered and half improvised, and in the process, stirs up more than just pasta. He stirs up a dream.

Instead of using his inheritance to settle his debts, Joe chooses to honour his grandmother differently — by opening a traditional Italian restaurant. But here’s the twist — he staffs his kitchen with grandmothers, or nonnas, from different parts of Italy, many of whom were his grandmother’s friends.

These are women who bring more than just recipes to the kitchen; they bring heart, stories and memory, folded gently into each lasagne layer and stirred into every pot of marinara sauce.

As I watched this, I couldn’t help but think, “What if we had something like this in South Africa? What if food could be more than an Instagrammable plate, more than a fleeting trend — what if it could be a bridge between generations, a celebration of memory and culture?”

A few days later, the universe responded.

I found myself walking up to a pink house in Rosebank — yes, an actual house painted the softest, dreamiest shade of pink. It felt like stepping into a postcard. This was Pink Mama’s, a new Italian restaurant that has been creating ripples across Johannesburg’s food scene. I had to see it for myself.