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Cesarina and Elvira restaurant co-founders Niccol\u00f2 Angius and his wife, chef Cesarina Mezzoni, and their business partner, Giuseppe Capasso. (Arlene Ibarra)<\/p>\nOne of the most sacred traditions that Italians celebrate every week is Sunday supper. Family members dress up and gather, often at the home of their grandma (or \u201cnonna\u201d), for multicourse meals that include desserts, coffee and digestif drinks. The meals can last three hours or more.<\/p>\n
Now, the Italian trio behind San Diego\u2019s Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored Cesarina restaurant are re-creating that same experience at their Elvira restaurant in Ocean Beach. Cucina Di Nonna, which can be booked for private parties of up to 14 guests, will not only feature a five-course, traditional Roman-style Sunday supper, it will also make the dinner guests part of the Cesarina family.<\/p>\n
Cesarina and Elvira restaurant co-founders Niccol\u00f2 Angius and his wife, chef Cesarina Mezzoni, and their business partner, Giuseppe Capasso. (Arlene Ibarra)<\/p>\n
Cucina Di Nonna hosts will welcome guests as family members and offer them the opportunity to carry dishes of food from the kitchen, play dinner games, make coffee with a vintage moka pot and decorate the dessert before it\u2019s served. Rather than having servers talk about Italian traditions, the servers\u00a0 instead create an immersive family experience for the diners.<\/p>\n
Cucina Di Nonna was conceived by company chef\/partner Cesarina Mezzoni, who said the idea draws on her childhood memories of family dinner in Italy, as well as those of her husband and co-owner, Niccol\u00f2 Angius, and their longtime friend and business partner Giuseppe Capasso.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen guests sit down for Cucina di Nonna, we want it to feel like you\u2019ve been adopted into our family for the night,\u201d Mezzoni said in a statement. \u201cThose small rituals \u2014 helping finish a dish, gathering around the table \u2014 shift you from spectator to participant. It\u2019s intimate, it\u2019s playful, and it\u2019s probably the closest we\u2019ve come to recreating the magic of our Nonna\u2019s table.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Diners can now enjoy Cucina di Nonna, an interactive Roman-style Sunday supper at Elvira restaurant in Ocean Beach. This garden room can accommodate up to 14 guests for the private dinner bookings. (James Tran)<\/p>\n
Angius said that the idea for Cucina di Nonna was inspired by growing demand among diners for experiential meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs dining out has evolved, people are craving experiences that feel personal rather than transactional,\u201d he said. \u201cImmersive dining gives guests permission to slow down, connect, and leave with a sense of memory and meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nonna dinner will offer a multicourse menu that will change seasonally. Here are sample dishes from the winter menu now available.<\/p>\n
The lighthearted meal will begin with bite-size snacks, including fried suppl\u00ec, meatballs and more. Next comes a Tuscan kale soup course with focaccia bread. The third course is a baked pasta course sliced and served tableside. The main course is a Sunday roast, also served tableside with side dishes. The dessert course includes cookies, pastries and fruit topped with zabaglione sauce. A traditional post-meal cup of coffee is percolated in a moka pot and served. Then diners will conclude the meal with choice of two aperitif,s like limoncello, mirto, herbal digestivi or moscato.<\/p>\n
Cucina di Nonna will only be offered for group bookings in Elvira\u2019s private dining rooms, which have been decorated to look like an Italian grandma\u2019s dining room with vintage photos, lamps and d\u00e9cor. The Elvira Room can accommodate parties of up to eight and the greenhouse-style Giardino di Nonna room can hold up to 14 people. Prices start at $105 per person, not including beverages.<\/p>\n