What Nonnas on Netflix Taught Me About Supporting Local
This weekend, all my kids were home—for the first time in a long time. Naturally, they declared it a movie night, reviving an old family tradition. Our pick? Nonnas on Netflix, a heartfelt film about food, grief, and legacy.
The movie follows Joe Scaravella, a man coping with the loss of his beloved mother. Grief, as we all know, doesn’t follow a straight line. It comes in waves. Some days you feel fine. Other days, you’re caught off guard by how fresh the pain still feels. Joe found his way through it by doing something both small and radical: he opened a restaurant to honor his mom. He staffed it with nonnas—Italian grandmothers—who brought their treasured family recipes and warm, lived-in love to the kitchen.
My kids, who are part Italian, thought this was the perfect movie for us. It brought back sweet, blurry memories of the nonnas in our own family—of laughter in the kitchen, sauce bubbling on the stove, and the quiet power of being cared for through food.
As I watched the story unfold—and learned it was based on real events—I couldn’t help but think of Yokl and the small businesses we partner with. Joe started local. He sourced ingredients locally. He hired locally. His idea was simple but rich with meaning.
That’s the same heart behind Yokl.
We’re small. We’re local. We support other small, local businesses. From the trolley we drive to the food we feature on our tours, we believe in the power of community. Just like Joe’s restaurant, we’ve seen the magic that happens when you connect people through shared experiences—and good food.
Joe’s restaurant struggled at first. Most small businesses do. But with time and community support, it grew into something beautiful. Today, you have to make a reservation to eat there. And those nonnas? They now represent cultures from all over the world.
That’s the dream, isn’t it? That a heartfelt, humble idea can grow. That something small and meaningful can become something celebrated and sustaining—not just for the owners, but for the entire community around them.
If you haven’t watched Nonnas, I highly recommend it. And as you do, think about how you can support the dreamers and doers in your own town. You might be just one person—but one person choosing local can make a world of difference when we all do it together.
Picture of two of my children's nonnas and a nonno (grandpa)
