Nicolina "Mama" DiSpirito, Executive Chef

[John]

Nicolina "Mama" DiSpirito
as Executive Chef

Nicolina DiSpirito, Rocco's mother, or “Mama” as she is fondly called by everyone associated with NBC’s “The Restaurant,” is Executive Chef of “Rocco's” and the mother of three. She was born in San Nicola Baronia, Avellino, Italy, in 1926. She arrived in New York on May 1, 1951, and went right to work. From the airport she was driven to Rosslyn, where she worked in a tailor's shop until nine o'clock that same evening. Nicolina continued to work in the shop for three years as a dressmaker, seamstress and drycleaner.

In 1954 Nicolina returned to Italy to marry Ralph DiSpirito. There she had a daughter. A year later, she returned to New York and moved to Jamaica, Queens. Again, she went to work immediately, this time doing piece-work sewing sweaters. She made 75 cents for a dozen completed sweaters. Nicolina and Ralph had two sons and she began working part time preparing lunches for a business in Manhattan.

Shortly after Thanksgiving in 1983, Nicolina began cooking school lunches at PS 95 in Jamaica. She retired in 2003 from the school. Rocco led her to the kitchen of Rocco's, where she became not only “Mama” on NBC’s “The Restaurant,” but also Executive Chef.

[eldee]

Per picture should be in the dictionary under work ethic.

[Muduh]

I love Mama. Don't care much for Rocco. This new season looks interesting though.

[Texicana]

It's hard not to like Mama DiSpirito. I guess maybe she coddled Rocco a wee bit much, though.

[eldee]

I've heard of child labor laws. Anything for the elder labor?

[Maveno]

I think she's working there on her own accord, cause she's not even being paid. She loves the attention and it's obvious she does.

Just because she's Rocco's mother, doesn't give her the right to "warn people" to stay out of Rocco's way..etc.. I mean..comeon. She's basically threatening someone with that silly statement. Then, when she's in the kitchen... "You gonna cook?" "No.".. "Then what are you doing here??" As if JC's chef needs to explain to HER why and what he's doing there. It's NOT her kitchen.
When there's problems with your children, it's a give-in that the parents always want to "protect" them, but I think she is speaking out-of-order lately. She needs to step back at let Rocco/Jeff fix whatever problems they have, if that's possible.

I'm not liking her at all.

Oh..and the Mother Theresa (I think) statue at the bar!?!?! WTH?? It's veryyy gaudy, and doesn't belong there. Not to even mention that it's disrespectful to the patrons that AREN'T HER RELIGION. (After Drew said he thinks that it should go..someone said "Mamma would be upset") AND?!?! DOES IT SAY MAMA'S ON 22ND???

[daysee8]

I think she's working there on her own accord, cause she's not even being paid. She loves the attention and it's obvious she does.

Just because she's Rocco's mother, doesn't give her the right to "warn people" to stay out of Rocco's way..etc.. I mean..comeon. She's basically threatening someone with that silly statement. Then, when she's in the kitchen... "You gonna cook?" "No.".. "Then what are you doing here??" As if JC's chef needs to explain to HER why and what he's doing there. It's NOT her kitchen.
When there's problems with your children, it's a give-in that the parents always want to "protect" them, but I think she is speaking out-of-order lately. She needs to step back at let Rocco/Jeff fix whatever problems they have, if that's possible.

I'm not liking her at all.

Oh..and the Mother Theresa (I think) statue at the bar!?!?! WTH?? It's veryyy gaudy, and doesn't belong there. Not to even mention that it's disrespectful to the patrons that AREN'T HER RELIGION. (After Drew said he thinks that it should go..someone said "Mamma would be upset") AND?!?! DOES IT SAY MAMA'S ON 22ND???

I have to ask ... if you believe so strongly that Mama should "Stay out of it", where was your disgust at Jeffrey bringing her into it last week? He was talking to her, and dispatched his wife to talk to her, to "bring her in" to the fray. Why is she wrong to be involved, but they're not wrong to play her?

Regarding the statue, it is a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Not Mother Theresa. And the look of the restaurant is supposed to be traditional, gaudy, Itallian family style. One of the componets that holds true in a traditional Itallian family is devout Catholocism. Offended by the statue? Pick somewhere else to eat. I am so sick and tired of the "religious symbols have no place in public ... someone may be offended".

[senrik]

I have to ask ... if you believe so strongly that Mama should "Stay out of it", where was your disgust at Jeffrey bringing her into it last week? He was talking to her, and dispatched his wife to talk to her, to "bring her in" to the fray. Why is she wrong to be involved, but they're not wrong to play her?

Regarding the statue, it is a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Not Mother Theresa. And the look of the restaurant is supposed to be traditional, gaudy, Itallian family style. One of the componets that holds true in a traditional Itallian family is devout Catholocism. Offended by the statue? Pick somewhere else to eat. I am so sick and tired of the "religious symbols have no place in public ... someone may be offended".

I think you mean traditional, Gaudy Italian-American Style. Italians in Italy are not quite as Kitschy. Maybe Sicilians are, but to some over there, they are not 'really' Italian.

[daysee8]

I think you mean traditional, Gaudy Italian-American Style. Italians in Italy are not quite as Kitschy. Maybe Sicilians are, but to some over there, they are not 'really' Italian.

Whatever. The detail you're pulling out is truly irrelevant to the point I was making.

[Maveno]

I have to ask ... if you believe so strongly that Mama should "Stay out of it", where was your disgust at Jeffrey bringing her into it last week? He was talking to her, and dispatched his wife to talk to her, to "bring her in" to the fray. Why is she wrong to be involved, but they're not wrong to play her?

And you KNOW that they DRAGGED her into it?? Perhaps she was asking questions..........? Either way...who cares. She was being told what needs to change and she was still being adamently against whatever they were recommending. I think SHE was lucky that they even decided to tell her.

Regarding the statue, it is a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Not Mother Theresa. And the look of the restaurant is supposed to be traditional, gaudy, Itallian family style. One of the componets that holds true in a traditional Itallian family is devout Catholocism. Offended by the statue? Pick somewhere else to eat. I am so sick and tired of the "religious symbols have no place in public ... someone may be offended".

You know. I am Catholic. I don't care if it's Peter, Paul and Mary or Huey, Dewey and Louie OR EVEN MOTHER THERESA as a statue!!
Who the hell needs to have THE MOTHER OF JESUS staring at me while I'm ordering my 4th double shot of Jaggermeister?? For Pete's sake, it's behind a BAR! Who cares if that's the "motif" that they're going for. I THINK it's stupid.
FYI...these are my opinions...just like you have opinions. No need to blow a blood vessel.

ETA: This thread is about "Mama", and I do not like her attitude.