7 Heartfelt moments from Nonnas that can make your day

The biographical comedy-drama Nonnas premiered on May 9, 2025, on Netflix and quickly became one of the most popular films on the streaming platform. Based on the life of restaurateur Joe Scaravella and his struggles to open Enoteca Maria, run by real-life grandmothers who are chefs at the restaurant, this movie is directed by Stephen Chbosky.

The movie is a heartwarming tale of Joe, played by Vince Vaughn, trying to open a restaurant in memory of his mother. It also highlights the challenges he faced in making his dream a reality. Other than Joe, the film also focuses on the nonnas and their stories as they find a new meaning in their lives by doing something they had always done for their families, and that is cooking delicious food. With the stories, the film also showcases some mouthwatering glimpses of the Italian food the nonnas cook, hinting at Joe’s love for food since he was a child.

Here’s a list of 7 heartfelt moments from Nonnas that would make you miss your grandmothers, families, and friends.

Disclaimer: This entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

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7 heartfelt moments from Nonnas

7) Joe watches his nonna cook

From the first shot of the film, Nonnas, we are introduced to different Italian delicacies, hinting at Joe’s love for food. As Joe goes back to his house full of family and friends, he reaches the kitchen, observing his nonna cook her popular Sunday gravy.

This is one of the touching memories that Joe has with his mother and nonna. The young Joe curiously asks questions about how she knows the quantity of ingredients she puts in the gravy without measuring. While his nonna explains that this is all her love toward her family, which helps her make these delicious dishes, Joe is mesmerized by the perfect taste of the gravy that he will spend trying to recreate.

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6) Gives his mother’s pin to Roberta

His mother’s death was hard on him and all the people who knew her. While everyone came to her funeral to pay their respects, one of the important people was missing.

Joe later goes and sees Roberta, his mother’s best friend, who apologizes to Joe for not attending the funeral, as it was hard for her to see her best friend gone. Joe tells her not to worry, as he knows that would’ve been hard for her as well, and brings a special gift for them, left by her mother for her best friend. She opens the small box and finds a pin of Joe’s mother that she used to love. Joe helps her pin it to her shirt, which makes her emotional and happy, as now she will always have something to remember her friend with, making it a heartfelt moment.

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5) Joe recreates their high school prom night for Olivia

After meeting again with Olivia in Staten Island, Joe’s childhood crush on her returns, but he keeps it hidden for a while as he finds out she was still trying to come to terms with her husband’s death, just like him trying to get over her mom’s demise. However, he gains confidence after Antonella, one of the chef nonnas in his restaurant, tells him that Olivia likes him and that he shouldn’t waste any more time and confess to her.

To tell her about his feelings for her, Joe recreates the prom night by decorating the restaurant with fringe tinsel and string lights and also dresses up in a suit. Later, he also asks her for a dance, which she agrees to, and they share a heartfelt dance together.

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4) Nonnas share their stories

While there were many conflicts between Roberta and Antonella initially, which even resulted in a little forced accident in the restaurant, it subsided a little after the accident. But they still learn to cook and share the same kitchen eventually.

One of the most heartwarming moments of Nonnas is when Gia, played by Susan Sarandon, takes her fellow chefs to her hair salon and gives them a makeover while telling them about the real meaning of beauty for a woman, which is to feel strong and seen. They eventually get drunk and share about their lives, about their happy moments, their regrets, and everything in between, bringing them closer.

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3) “You’re gonna regret the moments you did not take, and this is your moment, Joe.”

One of the challenging moments in Joe’s life was when he thought the restaurant would not survive as they were not receiving any customers. He shares with Gia how he has tried to call the food critics to review his restaurant, but none have replied or shown up. He tells her he was planning to let everyone know that they might have to close the restaurant.

However, Gia doesn’t let him feel down and tells him to take the food to the critics if they are not coming to the restaurant. She utters this dialogue to make him realize that if he doesn’t do everything to keep his dream afloat, he might end up regretting it later in life. This encouragement turns fruitful for Joe as he meets food critic Edward Durant to taste his restaurant’s food while also inviting him to visit once.

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2) Joe finally recreates his nonna’s Sunday gravy

In the earlier moments in Nonnas, Olivia and Joe share about not being able to get over their grief of losing their family. Olivia shares that she was unable to take her wedding ring off her finger, while Joe shares that he still hasn’t opened the letter that his mother left him, as for him it might be the last thing that his mother says to him.

Furthermore, since the beginning, Joe had been trying to recreate his nonna’s Sunday gravy but couldn’t do it until he opened his mother's letter at the end of the film. In the letter, he finds the recipe for the gravy, which he later cooks while reminiscing about the taste of his nonna’s gravy.

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1) Enoteca Maria receives a positive review from food critic Edward Durant

In the last moments of the film, Joe and the nonnas organize a Sunday feast, inviting friends and family as Joe was closing the restaurant. However, the next day, Bruno gives him the newspaper where food critic Edward Durant had published a positive review of his restaurant, Enoteca Maria, which resulted in the restaurant becoming a successful venture for Joe.

It turned out that as Joe invited him, Edward did attend the Sunday feast at the restaurant and was impressed by the food and the ambiance as well. Joe had told Edward that his restaurant would make the customers feel like a part of the family with food that would feel like cooked by their own grandmothers.

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The film is full of heartwarming and emotional familial moments with glimpses of mouthwatering Italian food, making it a must-watch. Catch Nonnas, now streaming on Netflix.

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