Nonnas Tells Story of Restaurant with Only Grandmothers as Chefs

Most people only get to eat their family's signature dishes on holidays, or whenever they're visiting home. This is not the case in Nonnas, Stephen Chbosky's heartfelt drama about a Staten Island restaurant that only serves food prepared by grandmothers.

Nonnas follows Joe (Vince Vaughn), who, after losing his mom and grandmother, turns to their generations-old recipes for solace and direction. With the money from his mom's insurance and a little help from his friends, he opens Enoteca Maria, an old-school Italian spot staffed by four grandmothers, or "nonnas," from different cities in Italy, who share their dishes with the neighborhood.

For director Chbosky, Nonnas was just as personal as Enoteca Maria is for Joe.

"This movie is a love letter to my wife (Liz Maccie), who wrote the film," he said. "Knowing my wife, knowing her family, knowing her Italian background, her childhood in New Jersey - I knew it was going to be a very special movie."

Joe isn't the only character craving the comfort of his family's culinary traditions. He's joined by Olivia (Linda Cardellini), with whom he reconnects at an Italian market years after standing her up at prom, and his best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello), both of whom have experienced the power of a meal cooked with love.

"I enjoy food and spending time with friends and family - (it's about) connection, and sharing an experience with people you enjoy," said Vaughn, about what drew him to the project. "It's great to have the time with people. The family dinner table is an opportunity to laugh and to try not to argue."

Vaughn and Manganiello had just as much reverence for these legendary actors as their characters do for the nonnas around whom they build a business.

Bracco described overhearing a conversation between the two men, "The thing that I loved was that I overheard them saying, 'Do you believe these actresses have been in some of the greatest movies that I've loved my entire life? I've seen them in these movies 50 times and do you believe we're getting to work with them?'"

"I thought there was something very precious about their enthusiasm to work with us old broads," she added.

As is the case for their characters, Bracco, Sarandon, Shire and Vaccaro found Nonnas offered a chance for exploration.

"What was exceptional and didn't have to be was Stephen allowed freedom," Vacarro said, "We could do anything we wanted to do almost. He let things grow and prosper organically. So I would get up in the morning and say, 'I can't wait to go to work!' It was joyous."

Nonnas is currently available on Netflix.