SHELTON, CT — A new Italian kitchen planned to open in Shelton later this month hopes to make customers feel as if they are eating at home with their family.
It’s the perfect vibe for a business that is owned and operated by Lisa Hunt, 56, and her daughter Jordan, 32, whose households have always revolved around meals cooked for and shared with family.
“Growing up,” Jordan Hunt said to Patch, “every Friday night we always had dinner at my nana’s house…we’re a big Italian family, so really cooking is just a big part of what we do.”
According to Lisa Hunt, her oldest daughter is the only one of her three children who shares her interest in cooking.
Though people had often encouraged the mother-daughter duo to do something professionally with cooking over the years, it wasn’t until recently the opportunity to open up their own restaurant presented itself.
While part of the inspiration for their restaurant came from the pair’s favorite home-cooked meals, including chicken cutlets and meatballs and pasta, another big inspiration was the idea for the restaurant’s name itself: Nonna Lisa’s.
“I have kids, and my mom is Nonna,” Jordan Hunt said. “She’s Nonna Lisa.”
Located at 500 Howe Avenue, Nonna Lisa’s is currently planned to open around mid-December, with a soft opening planned for early December, however an official opening date has not been announced yet.
The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer counter service for a variety of menu items, as well as grab and go items and seating for customers.
The atmosphere at Nonna Lisa’s aims to be cozy and homey with brick walls and wood accents, as well as a fireplace, TV and couch.
“We tried to make it as homey as possible,” Lisa Hunt said, “so that when people came in it was like they were walking into my kitchen at home and we were just feeding them our homemade food.”
According to Linda Hunt, she and her family live in Seymour and have lived in the Naugatuck Valley their whole life, which made Shelton the perfect place to open their new business.
“Being part of the community is big for us,” Lisa Hunt said. “We want to be a part of our own community, the Valley being the community, but when looking for a space we wanted something that was heavy with foot traffic, a place that was up and coming, so Shelton seemed to be a good fit for us. Everything just came together for us.”
Among the menu items customers can order when Nonna Lisa’s opens is a classic meatball sub prepared in a unique way.
“Our meatball sub is going to only come in one size,” Jordan Hunt said, “because it is pretty much a very amazing piece of Italian bread that is hollowed out, and we’re going to be stuffing it with our meatballs and cheese. It’s just kind of a different take on your normal meatball sub, plus my mom’s meatballs are amazing.”
Customers can also enjoy items such as sausage and peppers and chicken cutlets, as well as sandwiches, soups, salads and more.
Lisa Hunt also noted the restaurant will emphasize supporting similar family-run businesses in the area.
“When we secure our items and ingredients that go into our menu, we try to use family-owned businesses like our own,” Lisa Hunt said. “We really sought that out instead of using the big name brands.”
Jordan Hunt noted other family members will also be helping them out at the restaurant, making Nonna Lisa’s a true family business in every aspect.
“Everyone is going to be chipping in and kind of doing what they can,” Jordan Hunt said. “We have nieces and nephews and there’s grandkids. We’re a flock.”
Dining and Cooking