Happy Mother's Day
/Happy Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in the U.S. and in Italy on the second Sunday of May every year.
In early times, La Festa della Mamma, was known as a spring fertility ritual to honor the goddess Rhea, mother of all the gods. Rhea was the mother of Romulus and Remus who, according to ancient legend, were the founders of Rome. Some say that the Romans paid homage to Juno and Cybele, their goddesses of motherhood and marriage, and that was the origin of Mother’s Day in Italy.
In the 30s, while the Fascists were in power, they instituted a celebration called “La Giornata della madre e del bambino" - the day of the mother and child, which was a tribute to all mothers bearing good fascist sons to perpetuate the regime.
Fifty years after Mother’s Day became an official holiday in the U.S., a priest in Assisi proclaimed the same day as La Festa della Mamma, and the following year (1957) the Italian lawmakers made it official.
While there are differences in the holiday between the two countries, the Italians traditionally make cards with poetry, and start the day by making breakfast for Mom. Then, Mom is celebrated at her favorite restaurant, with Mother’s Day being the busiest day for restaurants throughout Italy.
Where would Italian food be without madri and nonne (moms and grandmothers), who traditionally run the kitchen at home and in many restaurants in Italy? Most of the well-known Italian cookbook authors are women: Marcella Hazan and Lidia Bastianich.
Mama Leone’s Ristorante was in New York City and could be responsible for the popularity of Italian cuisine in the U.S. Luisa Leone was known as a good cook and was encouraged by opera singer Enrico Caruso to open a small restaurant in the family’s living room in 1906. They could only fit 20 seats, but he brought such a large entourage for opening night, that people had to sit on wine crates to eat their $.50 meal.
Mama moved out and opened a large space in the Theater District on West 48th St that had 11 dining rooms with seating for more than 1,200 people, serving more than 700,000 meals a year.
The restaurant was so popular, that they printed 25,000 menus every two months and gave them away to their customers, mostly out-of-town visitors. According to a 1987 New York Times story, Manhattanites considered the restaurant “declasse”, with its strolling accordion players, enormous pink margaritas and plastic grapes dangling from the rafters.
“But people from other boroughs and the suburbs mark the occasions of their lives there. For generations, one Connecticut family has observed all its 13th birthdays there. And people journey from around the globe to see the Statue of Liberty, the Rockettes and this restaurant.
Simply put, Leone's is a real good deal, particularly for the glutton. A $23.95 seven-course veal parmigiana spread begins with an enormous hunk of mozzarella and ends with a dessert, like spumoni or rum cake. The price includes free parking in the theater district.” (The New York Times, 9/19/1987)
M’tucci’s Founder Jeff Spiegel who owned several Manhattan restaurants said, “I was there once. It was a midtown Italian restaurant focused on the NYC tourist trade. Go once and that was all you needed.”
I asked a few NYC friends if they remembered the restaurant, “YES! While visiting with my Brooklyn relatives, I went into "the city" for dinner and a show. I must have been around nine or ten years old. I can still remember the red and white maxi dress I wore, which matched the checkered tablecloths. I bragged to my friends back in Miami about going to the famous Mama Leone's and seeing the Rockettes dance at Radio City. Vivid memory considering it was over 50 years ago, said NYC Photographer Erica Berger.
The restaurant was popular enough that Mama’s son, Gene, published “Leone’s Italian Cookbook” in 1967. (It was the second cookbook given to me by my mother, after “The Joy of Cooking”). The cookbook’s forward was written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and is now a collector’s item. You can find it used for as much as $125 a copy. Sadly, I no longer have mine.
The restaurant was a victim of the condo craze in the 90s and closed permanently on January 10, 1994.
Celebrate Mother’s Day with M’tucci’s
Open at 10:00am Sunday!
We still have a few tables available at all locations. Use Open Table or call for reservations.
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Specials
M’tucci’s Italian Specials
M’tucci’s Moderno Specials
M’tucci’s Catering
As we continue to return to normal, contact us about your event or wedding reception. Taña can help with catering at your home, office or any event location. 505-350-0019 or [email protected]
Click here for our catering menu.
M’tucci’s Gourmet TV Dinners
Getting back to work and putting in some long hours? We’ve got you covered for dinner with M’tucci’s Gourmet TV Dinners. Only $9. Simply Heat and Eat. Always Fresh - Never Frozen. Available at all locations.
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!
