"After losing all those matriarchal figures in my life, I wanted to try to recreate that — grandma in the kitchen cooking."
—— Joe Scaravella
作者：Prince John 王国权
【中英双语版】
【编者按】
《纽约的另一面》专栏正式开启。
大家熟知的纽约，大多是曼哈顿的摩天楼宇、时代广场的喧嚣。而我想记录的，是游客视野之外的纽约：藏在街区烟火、艺术现场、跨文化相遇里那些不常被看见的人与故事。未来我将持续撰写数十篇乃至上百篇实地见闻，记录行走、演出与文化交流的所思所感，期待未来可以集结成书。本文为该系列第01篇。
从未想到，一部围绕一群老奶奶展开的温情故事，会如此打动我。前前后后，这部影片我居然看了约莫七八遍。
这是Netflix网飞2025年5月推出的美国影片，由Fifth Season、1Community等多家制片公司联合打造，取材于纽约史坦顿岛一家真实餐厅的真人故事。导演是Stephen Chbosky（《壁花少年》），主演Vince Vaughn饰演一位在MTA（纽约公共交通系统）工作的普通公务员Joe。母亲与祖母相继离世后，他用母亲留下的保险金，在史坦顿岛开了一家小小的意大利餐厅，取名Enoteca Maria——Maria，正是他母亲的名字。
现实生活中史丹顿岛上的Enoteca Maria餐厅
Joe不会做菜。他的"秘方"，是母亲和祖母传给他的关于"家"的味道。于是，他请来了几位性格迥异的意大利裔奶奶：妈妈最好的朋友Roberta、退休修女Teresa、来自西西里的硬核奶奶Antonella、还有妈妈当年的发型师Gia。起初厨房里鸡飞狗跳，博洛尼亚派和西西里派为了"正宗"争得面红耳赤。但慢慢地，在油烟、笑声和眼泪中，她们找到了彼此的节奏，也找到了新的家人。
没有激烈的冲突，也没有刻意制造戏剧反转。它就像一锅慢炖的Sunday Gravy——不刺激，却暖胃；不华丽，却暖心。
我第一次看到这部片子，是去年七月飞往欧洲的长途航班上。浏览机上片单，看到故事发生在史坦顿岛，立刻抓住了我的注意力。
我最早知道史坦顿岛，是在去往自由女神像的码头，才了解纽约还有这么一个行政区，有轮渡直通那里。后来多次去布鲁克林演出，路上总能望见横跨海湾的韦拉札诺大桥（Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge），大桥的另一端，就是史坦顿岛。这片土地对我而言，早就有熟悉的画面感。影片里也出现不少曼哈顿的实景镜头，这些我无比熟悉的城市景象，很容易引发内心的共鸣。
自那之后，去年往返欧洲，今年往返美国、再赴欧洲，就连往返新加坡的飞行途中，我都会把这部电影拿出来重看。平实的人间烟火，消解着长途飞行的枯燥。
反复回看同一部电影，于我而言是很难得的体验。回想童年，我在电影院一共看了六遍《少林寺》，当年可以把整部影片的对白熟记于心。几十年过去，《Nonnas》带来同等的触动，成为我成年之后重复观看最多的一部电影。
从"国际妇女之友"的视角：奶奶们教会我的事
作为长期关注女性议题、被誉为"国际妇女之友"的联合国代表，我看这部电影时，看到的远不止是一个"开餐厅"的故事。
我看到的是女性力量的传承。
这些奶奶们，平均年龄七十多岁，有的来自意大利，有的来自西西里，有的曾是修女，有的曾是发型师。她们的人生轨迹各不相同，却在Joe的厨房里，把各自母亲教给她们的"秘方"，变成了连接社区、治愈人心的力量。
Joe创办这家餐厅，源于他对母亲和祖母的深切怀念，他希望在这间厨房，重新拥有被奶奶们环绕的温暖。
这让我想到，在联合国妇女地位委员会的大会上，我们讨论的是政策、数据、性别平等指标。但《Nonnas》告诉我：真正的女性力量，往往不在会议室里，而在厨房里、在餐桌上、在一代代母亲传给女儿的秘方里。
那些奶奶们争吵、和解、互相扶持的过程，不就是一个微型社区的缩影吗？她们用食物打破了隔阂，用味道建立了信任。这恰恰是我一直在倡导的——女性之间的联结，不需要宏大的叙事，一道菜、一顿饭，就足以让人成为家人。
Snug Harbor：百年建筑里的第一声爵士
也正是这部影片，让我对史坦顿岛生出强烈的实地探访意愿。
今年四月，受史坦顿岛爵士音乐节总监邀请，我先后三次登上这座岛屿。
最难忘的一场演出，设在Snug Harbor内一座刚刚整修完毕的历史建筑中。总监告诉我，这是该建筑修缮后的首次演出——古老的希腊复兴式厅堂，崭新的音响与灯光，百年石柱第一次迎接爵士乐的即兴音符。那种历史与当下交融的感觉，格外动人。
史丹顿岛爵士音乐节现场
Snug Harbor曾是Sailors' Snug Harbor——美国最早的海员退休之家之一。1801年由船主Robert Richard Randall创立，1833年在史坦顿岛北岸建成，近两百年来庇护了无数年迈疲惫的海员。那些白色建筑群面朝海湾，庄严而宁静，曾是世界上最豪华的养老院之一。
如今，这里已变身为Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden——一个83英亩的文化公园，有植物园、博物馆、音乐厅和艺术展览。但当你漫步在那些古老的回廊间，依然能感受到一种独特的气质：这里曾是漂泊者的港湾，如今是艺术家的乐园。
音乐节那天，阳光正好。海风从海湾吹来，带着淡淡的咸味。远处是纽约港的波光，近处是百年老建筑的阴影。那一刻，我突然理解了为什么Joe选择留在史坦顿岛——这里有一种曼哈顿给不了的安静，一种被大海和公园环抱的从容。
轮渡上的纽约：闹中取静的另一种可能
史坦顿岛对很多纽约客来说，是一个"从不去"的地方。但对我来说，今年却去了三四次。当地艺术家朋友开车带我环岛，每一处风景，都像是电影画面的延伸。
最难忘的，还是那趟免费的史坦顿岛轮渡（Staten Island Ferry）。
25分钟的航程，从曼哈顿南端的Whitehall Terminal出发，穿过纽约港。站在甲板上，海风扑面而来，海鸥追着船尾翻飞。右侧，自由女神像越来越近；前方，曼哈顿的天际线缓缓展开——世贸中心、布鲁克林大桥、远处的帝国大厦，像一幅流动的画卷。
而当我从史坦顿岛回望曼哈顿时，那种视角的转换，让我突然理解了电影里的Joe——他选择留在这座被大多数人忽略的岛上，不是因为逃离，而是因为这里有一种更真实、更缓慢、更有温度的生活。
航程中，还能看到那座雄伟的韦拉札诺海峡大桥。这座连接布鲁克林与史坦顿岛的悬索桥，塔高693英尺，1964年通车时曾是世界上最长的悬索桥。从轮渡上看去，它像一道灰色的拱门，守护着纽约港的入口。
纽约是喧嚣的，但史坦顿岛是安静的。纽约是昂贵的，但这里的轮渡是免费的。纽约是追逐梦想的地方，但史坦顿岛是安放记忆的地方。闹中取静，有时候只需要一趟25分钟的免费轮渡。
1,800+ Staten Island Bridge Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock
从银幕到现实：那间没有开门的餐厅
当然，我最期待的，还是找到那家餐厅的原型——Enoteca Maria。
它就在Hyatt Street 27号，从史坦顿岛轮渡站步行只需五分钟。门面并不起眼。不巧的是，那天餐厅并未营业——它只在周五至周日开放，我去的那天正好不在营业日。但站在门前，看着那块写着"Nonnas of the World Community"的招牌，我依然能感受到故事发生地的真实氛围。
创始人Joe Scaravella今年已经69岁了。真实的他，依然每天在吧台后面招呼客人。墙上挂着他母亲、祖母和姐姐的画像——那是他开这家店的全部理由。
"After losing all those matriarchal figures in my life, I wanted to try to recreate that, you know, grandma in the kitchen cooking."
如今的Enoteca Maria早已不止有意大利奶奶。从2015年起，Joe把"Nonnas"的概念扩展到了全世界——孟加拉、埃及、日本、秘鲁、波兰、叙利亚……每天晚上，不同的奶奶掌勺，带来她们家乡最地道的味道。
推门虽不得入，但想象中那温暖拥挤的厨房、墙上三代女性的画像、来自埃及的奶奶Helena端着Baba Ganoush的样子，都已因这部电影而在脑海中无比清晰。有些地方的抵达，未必需要推门进去；当你因一部电影而对它心生向往时，你们就已经相遇了。
从万米高空机舱里偶然刷到的影像，到亲身踏上故事发生的海岸。
银幕中的情节，落地成为眼前真实的山海与城市。轮渡上的海风、Snug Harbor百年建筑里的第一声爵士、餐厅门前那块安静的招牌，都变成了我自己的记忆。
史丹顿岛公路高处远眺曼哈顿
这种跨越光影的亲历，是远行给予我的一份珍贵收获。
如果你也在某个航班上、某个深夜、某个想家的时刻，需要一点温暖——我推荐你看《Nonnas》。
它不只是一部关于美食的电影，它是关于记忆如何延续、悲伤如何转化为爱、陌生人如何成为家人的故事。
而如果你有机会去纽约，不妨花25分钟，坐一趟免费的史坦顿岛轮渡。去看看自由女神像，去看看那座守护海港的大桥，去Snug Harbor感受一下海员旧居的宁静，再去Hyatt Street 27号，看看那块写着"Nonnas"的招牌。
你会发现，世界上最珍贵的秘方，从来不在米其林餐厅里，而在一位奶奶的记忆中。
而史坦顿岛，这座被大多数人忽略的岛，恰恰是纽约最温柔的秘密。
"Your table is waiting."
——《Nonnas》
这是《纽约的另一面》专栏开篇。
作为联合国妇女地位委员会的代表及官方论坛主持人，这些年我在纽约走了不少地方。纽约有无数被镜头反复渲染的经典画面，但还有另一重真实的城市，散落在游客地图之外。未来我将持续记录，计划写下数十篇乃至上百篇见闻，把行走、演出、跨文化观察全部收纳于此，未来也希望能够集结成册。
这里会有联合国会场的见闻、小众街区的烟火、音乐会现场的触动，还有许许多多普通人的故事。…………
本文作者Prince John王国权（中）在纽约联合国总部论坛现场
我们不必只看见纽约光鲜的一面，也看见它安静、柔软、充满人间烟火的另一面。
敬请期待本系列后续篇章。
英文版
The Other Side of New York
By: Prince John · Wang Guoquan
Editor’s Note
The column The Other Side of New York is officially launched.
Most people know New York for Manhattan’s skyscrapers and the buzz of Times Square. What I wish to document, however, is the New York beyond the tourist gaze: the often‑unseen people and stories woven into neighborhood life, art venues, and cross‑cultural encounters. In the months ahead, I will keep writing dozens, even hundreds of on‑location narratives, capturing reflections from my travels, performances and cultural exchanges, with the hope of publishing them as a book in the future. This is Article No. 01 of the series.
“After losing all those matriarchal figures in my life, I wanted to try to recreate that — grandma in the kitchen cooking.”
— Joe Scaravella
I never imagined a heart‑warming story centred on a group of grandmothers would touch me so deeply. In total, I have watched this film some seven or eight times.
This is an American film Nonnas, released by Netflix in May 2025, co‑produced by Fifth Season, 1Community and other studios. It is adapted from the true‑life story of a real restaurant on Staten Island, New York. Directed by Stephen Chbosky (author‑director of The Perks of Being a Wallflower), the film stars Vince Vaughn as Joe, an ordinary civil servant working for the MTA, New York’s public transit system. After his mother and grandmother passed away one after another, he used his mother’s life‑insurance payout to open a small Italian restaurant on Staten Island named Enoteca Maria — Maria being his mother’s given name.
(Photo: Real‑life Enoteca Maria restaurant on Staten Island)
Joe cannot cook. His “secret recipe” is the taste of “home” passed down from his mother and grandmother. So he brought in several Italian‑American grandmothers, each with a distinct personality: Roberta, his mother’s best friend; Teresa, a retired nun; Antonella, a feisty grandmother from Sicily; and Gia, his mother’s former hairdresser. At first, the kitchen is total chaos. Proponents of Bolognese and Sicilian culinary traditions argue fiercely over what counts as “authentic”. Gradually, amid sizzling stoves, laughter and tears, they fall into their shared rhythm and find a new family in one another.
There are no explosive conflicts or artificially manufactured plot twists. The film is like a slow‑simmered Sunday Gravy: not sharp‑edged, yet deeply comforting; not flashy, yet soul‑warming.
I first saw this film last July, on a long‑haul flight bound for Europe. Scrolling through the in‑flight movie list, I spotted its Staten‑Island setting and it immediately caught my eye.
I first learned of Staten Island from the ferry terminal for the Statue of Liberty. That was when I discovered New York City has this fifth borough, reachable by direct ferry. Later, performing many times in Brooklyn, I would catch sight of the Verrazzano‑Narrows Bridge spanning the bay. On the far side of that bridge lies Staten Island. The place already felt vivid and familiar to me. The film also features many real‑world Manhattan shots, sights I know intimately, which readily struck a chord within me.
Since then, on flights to and from Europe last year, between the United States and Europe this year, and even on trips to Singapore, I have re‑watched this movie. Its quiet everyday humanity eases the monotony of long‑distance air travel.
Rewatching the same film repeatedly is an uncommon experience for me. I recall seeing Shaolin Temple six times in cinemas during my childhood; back then I could recite every line from memory. Decades later, Nonnas has stirred an equal depth of feeling, becoming the film I have re‑watched more than any other in my adult life.
(Caption: NYC: The Staten Island Ferry with a view of the Statue of Liberty)
(Video clip: Overlooking Manhattan from Staten Island)
Insights from the Perspective of a “Friend to Women Worldwide”: What the Grandmothers Taught Me
As a United‑Nations representative long‑devoted to women‑related issues and known as a “Friend to Women Worldwide”, what I saw in this film goes far beyond a story about opening a restaurant.
I witnessed the inheritance of women’s strength.
These grandmothers are in their seventies on average. Some are from Italy, some from Sicily; one used to be a nun, another a hairdresser. Though their life paths diverge, inside Joe’s kitchen they turn the family recipes taught to them by their own mothers into community‑binding, healing power.
Joe founded the restaurant out of profound grief for his mother and grandmother. He hoped to recreate the warmth of being surrounded by grandmothers within that kitchen.
This brings to mind sessions at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, where we debate policies, statistics and gender‑equality metrics. Yet Nonnas reminds me: genuine women’s empowerment often unfolds not in conference rooms, but in kitchens, around dining tables, in recipes passed down from mothers to daughters across generations.
The grandmothers’ quarrels, reconciliations and mutual support form a microcosm of community. They dissolve divisions through food and build trust through flavour. This aligns closely with what I have long advocated: female solidarity needs no grand rhetoric. One dish, one shared meal, is enough to turn strangers into family.
Snug Harbor: The First Notes of Jazz within Centuries‑Old Buildings
This very movie planted in me a strong desire to visit Staten Island in person.
This April, invited by the artistic director of the Staten Island Jazz Festival, I travelled to the island three separate times.
(Photos: Scenes from the Staten Island Jazz Festival)
One performance remains especially memorable, held inside a newly‑renovated historic building at Snug Harbor. The director told me this was the venue’s very first show after restoration. Inside this stately Greek‑Revival hall, brand‑new sound and lighting systems welcomed impromptu jazz improvisation for the first time beneath centuries‑old stone columns. That fusion of history and the present felt profoundly moving.
Snug Harbor originated as Sailors’ Snug Harbor, one of America’s earliest retirement homes for seamen. Founded in 1801 by ship‑owner Robert Richard Randall, its Staten‑Island north‑shore campus opened in 1833. For nearly two hundred years it sheltered countless elderly, worn‑out mariners. Its white building complex faces the bay, solemn and serene, once ranked among the world’s most luxurious retirement communities.
Today the site operates as Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, an 83‑acre cultural park hosting botanical gardens, museums, concert halls and art exhibitions. Walking along its ancient arcades, you can still sense its unique spirit: once a sanctuary for wanderers, now a paradise for artists.
On festival day the sun shone bright. Sea‑breezes carried faint salt‑scent off the bay. Sunlight glinted across New York Harbor in the distance, while shadows of old buildings fell nearby. At that moment I understood why Joe chose Staten Island. It offers a tranquility Manhattan cannot give, a calm enfolded by ocean and parkland.
The Ferry to Staten Island: An Alternative Vision of Serenity amid Hectic City Life
To many New Yorkers, Staten Island is a place they “never go”. Yet I visited three or four times this year. Local artist friends drove me around the island, and every vista felt like an extension of scenes from the film.
Most unforgettable of all was the free Staten Island Ferry.
The 25‑minute voyage departs Manhattan’s southern Whitehall Terminal and crosses New York Harbour. Standing out on deck, sea‑wind washes over you while seagulls wheel behind the stern. To your right, the Statue of Liberty draws near; ahead unfolds Manhattan’s skyline — One World Trade Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building far off, forming a living moving panorama.
(Photo: View from the ferry)
Looking back toward Manhattan from Staten Island, this shift of perspective helped me comprehend Joe in the film. His choice to settle on this largely‑overlooked borough is not an act of escape. It is a pursuit of a more authentic, slower, warmer way of living.
Out on the water you also see the majestic Verrazzano‑Narrows Bridge. This suspension bridge linking Brooklyn and Staten Island stands 693 feet tall. When it opened in 1964, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge. Seen from the ferry, it forms a grey archway guarding the entrance to New York Harbour.
New York is noisy, yet Staten Island is quiet. New York is expensive, yet its ferry ride costs nothing. New York is where people chase dreams; Staten Island is where memories can rest. Sometimes peace amid commotion is just a 25‑minute free ferry trip away.
From Silver Screen to Reality: The Restaurant That Stayed Closed on My Visit
Naturally, my greatest anticipation was finding Enoteca Maria, the real‑life prototype behind the story.
It sits at 27 Hyatt Street, merely a five‑minute walk from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Its storefront is unassuming. Unfortunately, it was closed the day I arrived: it only opens Friday through Sunday, and my visit fell on an off‑day. Even so, standing before its entrance and reading the sign “Nonnas of the World Community”, I could feel the tangible atmosphere of the story’s setting.
Founder Joe Scaravella is now 69 years old. In real‑life he still greets guests daily behind the bar. Portraits of his mother, grandmother and sister hang on the walls — the very reason he opened the restaurant.
“After losing all those matriarchal figures in my life, I wanted to try to recreate that, you know, grandma in the kitchen cooking.”
Enoteca Maria has long moved beyond just Italian grandmothers. Starting in 2015, Joe expanded the “Nonnas” concept across the globe. Grandmothers from Bangladesh, Egypt, Japan, Peru, Poland, Syria and more take turns manning the kitchen each evening, serving authentic dishes from their homelands.
Though I could not step inside, I could vividly picture its warm, crowded kitchen, the wall‑hung portraits of three generations of women, and grandmother Helena from Egypt setting down a plate of Baba Ganoush. Some destinations do not require you to cross their threshold. When a film stirs longing within you, you have already connected with the place.
Closing Thoughts
What I first encountered by chance on an airliner cruising thousands of metres above ground has now become real coastlines and cityscapes I have set foot upon.
Scenes from the screen materialised into tangible places before my eyes: sea‑winds on the ferry, the first jazz notes ringing inside Snug Harbor’s historic halls, and the quiet sign hanging outside the restaurant. All these have become my own memories.
(Photo: Overlooking Manhattan from elevated roads on Staten Island)
This kind of lived‑experience bridging cinema and reality is a precious gift travel bestows.
If you find yourself on a flight, late at night, or missing home, in need of some gentle warmth — I recommend Nonnas.
It is far more than a food‑themed film. It tells how memories endure, how grief transforms into love, and how strangers can become family.
And if you ever visit New York, take the 25‑minute free Staten Island Ferry. See the Statue of Liberty, behold the great bridge guarding the harbour, experience the quiet of the old sailors’ refuge at Snug Harbor, and walk to 27 Hyatt Street to look upon the “Nonnas” sign.
You will realise life’s most precious secret recipes are not found in Michelin‑starred restaurants. They live inside a grandmother’s recollections.
Staten Island, the island so many overlook, holds New York’s softest secret.
“Your table is waiting.”
— Nonnas
This marks the opening instalment of The Other Side of New York.
As a representative and official‑forum host for the UN Commission on the Status of Women, I have travelled widely across New York over these years. Countless polished, heavily‑filmed iconic images define this city, yet another genuine New York exists, scattered off standard tourist maps. I intend to keep documenting it, planning dozens to hundreds of travelogues weaving together my journeys, performances and cross‑cultural observations, with the long‑term goal of book publication.
Future pieces will feature observations from UN‑forum sessions, the everyday charm of lesser‑known neighbourhoods, moments stirred by concerts, and countless ordinary‑people’s stories.
(Photo: Author Prince John Wang Guoquan (centre) at a forum inside United Nations Headquarters, New York)
We need only see New York not merely for its glittering facade, but also for its quieter, gentler, deeply‑human other side.
Stay tuned for future chapters in this series.
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