The restaurant’s name translated from Italian is Grandma’s Kitchen. Flores named the Italian restaurant after the grandmother he lived with in Puebla, Mexico, after his parents moved to New York City. He remembers the Sunday dinners she prepared for the family.

“She’s been gone 22 years and it still hurts.”

He remained two years in Mexico after the family matriarch’s passing, joining his parents in Manhattan in 1998 when he was 17 years old. After spending seven years in the city, he made the decision to move to Raleigh, North Carolina to escape big city life and to fulfill the dream of buying a house.

Interestingly, the restaurateur with his Mexican heritage claims he cannot cook Mexican dishes. His vocational journey was spent working in Italian restaurants, starting as a dishwasher and doing every job from bus boy to runner to server to cook and finally manager. Time spent doing every job in the business has been beneficial in opening and operating his own restaurant. He is able to fill any position if an employee calls off work.

J. J. Galbez prepares Chicken Tequila.

His wife, Elizabeth, came to Jamestown in 2017 to help her cousin open a Mexican Restaurant. When she was ready to return to North Carolina she insisted her mate come to see the area where she had resided for a month. While in Jamestown, her spouse noticed a “For Sale” sign on a building and decided to look in the windows. He saw potential, envisioning a pizzeria, prompting him to call the realtor to get a look inside. It was at this time he made the decision to pack up his family, leave the pizzeria he had worked at for 14 years and move to New York State. They returned to Jamestown two months later.

Both he and Elizabeth spent the next several weeks working on their new real estate investment, replacing the ceiling and indoor and outdoor lighting, rebuilding the kitchen and repairing the patio. They painted inside and out. A professional was hired to install the ceramic tile floor. New tables were purchased for the dining room and patio before the business was ready to open its doors on Nov. 6, 2017.

“We’re not done yet. We have more to do,” says the restaurant owner.

The eatery that opened with just the two of them, has become a thriving business and seen the addition of seven more employees in less than a year. Flores is very happy with its growth. There are many reasons for its popularity. One of those is the extensive menu that offers food made from scratch.

The mozzarella sticks and zucchini sticks are hand-cut. Eggplant is sliced for eggplant parmesan. Meatballs, lasagna and dough are made on the premises, which is a rarity, as most businesses buy their dough. Delicious, warm garlic knots are served with entrees. It is the only restaurant in the area that serves homemade tiramisu, selling nearly 340 pieces per week. The kitchen uses 50 pounds of onions every four days and 30 pounds of garlic.

J. J. Galbez prepares Chicken Tequila.

The menu offers 18 gourmet Neapolitan pizzas, along with basic pizza offerings, including gluten-free crust. Heros, wraps and focaccia sandwiches, pasta and seafood dishes and appetizers, soups and salads are offered, as well. Their best sellers are stromboli, calzones, Chicken Marsala and Chicken Francese. Specials change weekly. There is a children’s section on the menu. Beer and wine are available.

“We have good employees. The main thing with me is making the customers happy,” says Flores. “I work 14 hours per day to make customers happy.”

When time allows, he circulates among them while asking for their comments. The hiring of J. J. Galbez, a cook and friend from North Carolina, has freed Flores up a little.

When he has time, he enjoys traveling with his family and takes day trips whenever the opportunity presents itself.

“I love to travel and to go different places. You don’t realize how much there is to see. I feel bad because I didn’t travel a lot when I lived in Mexico,” he says when referring to the area he once lived in, located between Mexico City and Veracruz. Puebla is Mexico’s fourth largest city and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987.

“Any time we have off, we use it to go to different places,” he says of his life in the US.

He played soccer while attending high school and now runs five miles at a time when he gets the opportunity and says he wishes he could do that every day.

The couple has a 12 year old son named Frankie and a seven year old daughter named Maggie. They are expecting a baby in March. They share their home with Cuckoo the German Shepherd. The family attends Church on the Rock.

La Cucina Della Nonna Pizzeria and Restaurant is located at 679 Fairmount Avenue in Jamestown. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m-10 p.m. To order call 488-7468. Delivery and catering are available.

Chicken Tequila

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Garlic, chopped

¢ red pepper, sliced

¢ green pepper, sliced

™ onion, sliced

Boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced in large chunks

1 ¢ oz brown Tequila

6 oz heavy cream

2 T butter

2 T parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Linguine, cooked

In frying pan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add peppers, onions and chicken. Cook until nearly done. Add Tequila and cook until it has reduced about 50 percent. Add cream, butter, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Add more cream, if not creamy. Serve over linguine.

Baked Ziti

18 oz marinara sauce

2¢ T ricotta cheese

1T butter

2 T parmesan cheese

Ziti, cooked

Combine all ingredients and place in oven-proof dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Penne ala Vodka

Extra virgin olive oil

™ white onion, diced

4 slices prosciutto, diced

1 oz vodka

18 oz marinara sauce

1.5-2 oz heavy cream

8 oz cooked penne pasta

Fry onion and prosciutto in small amount of olive oil until brown. Add vodka. Cook until vodka is reduced to half. Add marinara sauce and enough cream to make the sauce pink. Fold in pasta.

Chicken Cacciatore

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Bread crumbs

Extra virgin olive oil

Garlic, chopped

™ Spanish onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

5 medium white mushrooms

18 oz marinara sauce

2 servings pasta of choice, cooked

Dredge chicken breast in flour. Dip in egg and then in bread crumbs. Fry in oil. In a clean frying pan, saute garlic until brown. Add onions, pepper and mushrooms. Continue sauteing. Add sauce. Divide pasta between two plates. Put chicken breast on each serving pasta and then pour sauce over all.

Chicken Piccata

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Extra virgin olive oil

Flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 T unsalted butter

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

2 oz white wine

Juice of ¢ lemon

Pasta of choice, cooked

Fresh spinach

Capers

Dredge chicken in flour and then dip in egg. Fry in oil. Drain. Add butter, salt and pepper, white wine and lemon juice. Simmer 10 minutes. Divide pasta between two plates. Cover pasta with chicken and sauce. Add a large handful of spinach and a few capers.