From the storefront below: Nonna Lia’s

For Nicolò Marchisio, food has always been the way love shows up.It’s the universal feeling of coming home and being greeted by your nonna — not with questions, but with a list of everything she made just for you. And only later, as an adult, do you realize what that really meant: the shopping trip the day before, the hours spent cooking, the way she never sat down to eat because she was too focused on making sure you were happy.Nonna Lia’s is built on that feeling.Nicolò grew up between Italy and Canada, surrounded by food but never planning to work in it. At 19, he skipped out on an office job, flew to Japan without telling his parents, and was promptly called home by his dad to work a summer at the family clothing store — where a closed-down pub downstairs became an accidental restaurant. Helping design the space and menu changed everything.Years later, knowing how to make tiramisu better than anything else, Nicolò began quietly obsessing over the idea of turning it into a business. The idea sat untouched for four years — until the pandemic forced stillness, experimentation, and a return to what mattered most.What followed was relentless refinement. Learning from his mother. Translating recipes with no measurements into something consistent. Solving for transport, shelf life, and balance. Reworking every component — again and again — until it felt right. Even now, Nicolò says they’re only 90% of where they want to be.In this episode, Nicolò talks about the responsibility of representing Italian food with honesty, why hospitality matters as much as the recipe, how he responds personally to every complaint, and why taking care of people — customers included — is non-negotiable.This is a story about patience, pride, and the kind of love that shows up quietly, every day.Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTokFollow Sam Jen on Instagram