The Relaunch of Mama Maria's: A New Chapter in Brooklyn's Culinary Scene

As I stepped into the bustling kitchen of Mama Maria's, the energy was palpable. The aroma of freshly baked dough and simmering sauces wafted through the air, teasing my senses and building anticipation for what was to come. This iconic Brooklyn restaurant, now under the helm of John, its new owner and chef, was relaunching with a vengeance.

A Powerhouse Full of Critics

The kitchen's inner sanctum was abuzz with activity as Mama Maria's staff prepared to face their toughest critics yet – none other than the infamous food bloggers and reviewers who had once made or broken restaurants across the city. The pressure was on, but John remained calm and collected, his eyes locked intently on his team as they worked in perfect synchrony. "Turn around, give us a spin," he said with a smile, welcoming the incoming wave of diners to their newly revamped menu.

A Brand New Menu

The first course to arrive at table four was a minestrone and Caesar, expertly crafted by Chef John's team. As the pasta was presented, the aroma of fresh vegetables and herbs wafted up, tantalizing the taste buds of the awaiting customers. "RTO" – an abbreviation that only seasoned restaurant veterans would understand – referred to the kitchen's precise timing, where every dish was served with military precision, leaving no room for error.

The Service Was a Mixed Bag

As John expertly juggled orders and expediting dishes out into the dining area, some of his staff struggled to keep up. "Table four," he called out, as the waitstaff hastened to attend to their hungry patrons. The vlogger at table one was particularly demanding, but John remained steadfast, addressing each concern with a firm yet friendly demeanor. "We're in the middle of service," he reassured his team, "but we can't stop."

A New Chapter Unfolds

As the evening wore on and the kitchen continued to churn out dish after dish, it became clear that Mama Maria's was more than just a restaurant – it was an institution. The staff, once divided in their roles, now worked together as a cohesive unit, each member focused on providing an exceptional dining experience for every patron.

A Moment of Truth

Just when it seemed like the evening couldn't get any busier, John found himself face-to-face with the New York Observer, one of Mama Maria's most loyal – and toughest – critics. "You've got to step up your game," he was told bluntly. But John didn't flinch. Instead, he seized the moment, using it as an opportunity to rally his team and remind them that they were all in this together.

A Turning Point

As the night drew to a close, Mama Maria's staff took a collective breath of relief. The kitchen had weathered its first major storm, emerging stronger and more united than ever before. John's decision to take on the role of owner and chef had been a bold one, but it was clear that he was exactly where he belonged – at the helm of this beloved Brooklyn institution.

A New Era Begins

As I watched Mama Maria's staff pack up the last of their dishes and say their goodbyes for the evening, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement about what the future held. The restaurant had come a long way since its humble beginnings, and it was clear that John was committed to carrying on his parents' legacy in the most authentic and delicious way possible.

A Message from Mama Maria Herself

In a heartwarming moment, Mama Maria herself emerged from the kitchen, her eyes shining with pride as she thanked each member of her team for their hard work. It was clear that this 55-year-old restaurant had found its footing once again – and that John's decision to take on the role of owner and chef had been the perfect catalyst for a new era in Brooklyn's culinary scene.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin Brooklyn New York lies the historic neighborhood of Cobble Hill a hip thriving area and home to Sal's Pizzeria run by John Esposito my parents came here from Italy and they took over this Pizzeria in 1970 and at the age of 14 I left High School to help my mom and dad run the business this has become my life ever since hello s how can I help you we ran the place very successfully thank you by the '90s we were able to purchase the restaurant next door hello how are we doing welcome to marus thank you my mom became sick she got diagnosed with cancer and we thought the right thing to do was to name the room after my mom that's why you have styles pizza and Mama Maria his father passed away his mom passed away he was the only one in charge of everything and as the years passed it started to go down we don't have that kind of volume of sales that we once had and I can't figure out the reason why I dropped off where's the people AB stay the same I haven't changed they weren't a fan of the eggplant I don't know what they're doing over there John as the owner is supposed to be in charge of this whole place including the kitchen but he's usually up front making pizzas covered in in flour it's a nightmare right it is a nightmare a pizzeria and a restaurant are two different animals that's like the accountant that thought it'd be cool to open a wine B stop paying attention over here for a minute get in the kitchen really look at what's going on John treats this place like his second home he's got four kids that are always here running around the restaurant it doesn't really look good for the restaurant John is an extremely stubborn owner all right so this is the way we're going to set up the table listen R down here it's my restaurant in his mind the system has worked but it really stopped working like 20 years ago kill used to be a very old school Italian neighborhood but now we have much much younger people moving in uh a lot of people like to call them hipsters hey sorry uh spaghetti doesn't taste quite right I don't know what to tell you it's the first tomato sauce throw this out am I going to put on plastic glasses get a funky haircut put an earring in my ear just to accommodate the new people in I'm not going to do that how about things on this side a bad horrible really yeah John is holding on to the past and to the way things were done when his parents ran the business when didn't do anything tonight we didn't even do a quar of what we used to do any businessman would have said enough is enough pull the plug but how do you pull the plug on family history pretty tough yeah we got to do something to boost these checks this place it's Mom and Dad losing ones like Ling app parent again I'm not prepared to handle that Mama maras what is that that is ghastly holes everywhere that is not a good sign damn my goodness me hello how are you kid how are you first name is Fabio yeah good to see you I'm the manager here that outside looks like an I saw whose idea was that the owner he actually cut the letters out why guess cuz it was tearing and he just completed the whole thing and the owner is John and he is where next door he's respons responsible for like the pizzeria so two restaurants right Mama Maria's I'm standing in right and then there's child's Pizzeria next door um right I'm going to go meet the owner thank you no problem wow so Sal's pizzera John there he's there how are you very well thank you how are you good thank you excellent so are you filling in today someone phoning sick I pretty much make the pizzas yeah I always work the front of the C that Mak oh so you're behind there constant yeah wow how long have you making pizzas since I'm 10 years old that's incredible I got confused with a hideous canopy outside was that you cut holes in the canopy uh actually the wind did that the wind did that yeah anyway come around let's have a a catch up okay first of all give me a little insight the history my mom and dad had a pizzeria and my father my my mother did all the cooking in the back by the '90s my mom got sick she came down with cancer she passed first I'm sorry he's no longer with me wow so that's why it has two different names Mom and Dad Salam Maria right combined restaurants what is the number one problem here we're not busy we're not busy uh there's more competition in the neighborhood than uh we're struggling we're struggling to keep the doors open it's a hard pill to swallow yeah I can see that um I'd like to e and find out what's going on here it's very uncomfortable for me to sit here right now and ask for help thank you I'm not feeling who I am I feel weak oh hello hello how are you good how are you and this is Lori Lori nice to see you nice to meet you what' you do I'm the waitress excellent what's wrong with the restant um lack of leadership uh John's a little frantic chaotic um usually very busy in the pizzeria John has been here forever so you would think John would know how to run this place but he's doesn't want to change anything because this is what his parents knew before they passed away homemade pastas pasta made daily on the premises all the passes made fresh on a daily basis yep okay um start off with the toini Pata okay I got to try the spaghetti meatballs SP me B Margarita please okay thank you wow bang reganada second course you got the talini Pate the food is not good here but it's not my food I'm sorry it the same way we always serve it oh boy I think the chef Ram is going to have a heart attack when he sees what goes on around here oh my god oh hello Hi how are you I'm how are you good I'm Fran ni you too Fran nice to see you D what did you do I just showed the desserts okay let's let's have a look show me wow so they showcase the desserts M so this is our desserts everything's made here fresh on promise so jeez what is that it's butter oh it's butter yeah just a display as the ice cream and that uh that mold on there you show that No the butter is on top so it covers that and that bit there yeah and Fabio you're the general manager right so you've got no idea of this we're presenting those moldy bits of and it's stuck with butter on top those are just for display hold on because they for display you've got the right to cake them in mold and serve customers a display that's full of mold so we supposed to like a fresh one every day so we can throw it out are you kidding me what do you think I think that you know as long as it's I mean it's fresh that's good I mean but I wouldn't but I wouldn't are you I mean have you lost the plot no I haven't it's changed colors four times and it absolutely reeks all I'm saying is that this is for display we're not serving it so do the customers deserve a display that's full of oh my God he's ripping into him he's ripping into him man look at this mess oh my God that it must be 2 months old it's probably a few days old a few days uh we don't serve it it's for presentation I'm aware you're not serving it thank gold star congratulations on that one that's that's a big breakthrough with you that's why you're here excuse me that's why you're here I'm here to tell you that that's and you shouldn't be presenting it you don't know the difference between mold and fresh it's for presentation of give me two seconds I'm going need to clean my hands I've caked in mold I got disgusting butter and I've got hands full of pus oh my god oh Christ almighty you got tal cing no he's going to come throw it at us I'd rather him throw it at us than me serve it to him the patata thank you you're welcome I don't know it's bland I mean really Bland and Visually looks like someone's just eaten that whole dessert tray and it shot out twice as quick as it went in Lori it's is blat they really black I'll let them know and this is frozen cuz there's a grainy potato flavor inside that I don't think anything's Frozen here so the toor aren't Frozen I'll double check thank you uhoh you said it was very very Bland he asked if the um the toor leing were frozen I wasn't sure if they were frozen or not he's right all off pasta is fresh frozen that's the most mindboggling thing in this place we make everything and then freeze it Chef the Twitter Lees are frozen oh they are frozen they are so you advertise you're making it daily but you freeze it daily something's wrong Big Time thank you wow this a totally news fro I I can't I didn't even know this me either I thought everything was like fresh it makes no sense what to make it fresh and then freeze it and then freeze it it makes no sense does anyone clean here Fab how often is this place cleaned I have no idea you've got no idea when this place was last cleaned they don't have a cleaning crew all these I true I have to ask TR what's that smelling here that's the smell oh my God what in the damn it was a little bit of a payback cuz he just finished tearing me apart I thought that was a little bit of karma did I get you yeah where in the did all that come from they over flooded it who watered the plants this morning Chan they're full of water somebody watered the plants someone's doing a great job at watering plants but not changing desserts man wow yeah I'll pay for any dry cleaning right okay F me the spaghetti and meatball I would say Enjoy but I know better spaghetti meatballs spaghetti meatballs um fresh meatballs or Frozen Frozen oh come on everything is frozen look at that now inside how rubbery it looks even before tasting it man look at that how dry that is dry disgusting frozen meatballs uhoh meatballs are frozen rubbery and dry he's right okay every product we use in here is Frozen when I first started here we caught up a leg of ve and I'm still waiting to use it and here's your pizza for margar to Pizza it's very Creasy yeah got oil slicks in here doesn't like the pizza either it's to greasy that's just full of grease Lori the pizza's grease is anything but what concerns me that John's behind the bar all these Foods coming out and I want him to taste what he's sending me cuz I'm a little bit miffed to why I'm here if no one's caring okay please sure wow you said the pizza is greasy and that you should be tasting everything that before it gets sent out to him have enough oh boy oh my God I don't I've had enough had enough I've had enough after being disappointed by Bland frozen food and greasy pizza at Brooklyn's Mama Maria's a joke Chef ramsy heads to the kitchen looking for an explanation I don't want to talk to this guy when he comes in here come on everybody outside uh introduce me to who's who this is Joel Joel this is ask how are you Hi how are hello sir Valentino how are you good to meet you likewise good to see you too um I don't know where to start I've just had one of the most disgusting lunches I've ever had I stopped a desert DT tray full of moldy desserts and the torini grainy Bland and the potato was just Dreadful the meatballs Frozen dry solid yes they're disgusting I don't need them but you can't make meatballs every day you get 20 lb of chopped meat you make the meatballs and you freeze the rest do you know how long it takes to make 5 lb of Meatballs 10 minutes it's what we've done all our lifetime I haven't just started this yesterday the meatballs are always done if you get away with it 19 1967 it's 2012 John does anyone have standards here we're not in control of the menu whose menu is it it's my menu I'm embarrassed to do some of the things that we do here you kidding me we make pasta fresh and we freeze it like are you crazy but why are you doing it I don't have a choice who's stopping you the menu my menu why don't you listen to this man he's spoken more sense in the last 5 minutes than anybody has since the been here do you listen to your staff they're not paying my bills I'm the guy paying the bills oh cuz you make the pizza and so they can't have a voice you should be nowhere near this business I don't agree with you I think we should close the doors I don't think this man actually gives a I didn't I didn't call you because I want to put the key to the door if I need you to tell me to put the key to the door I would have done that without you coming here it worked before why can't it work now but you're running on Nostalgia it Stood Still and yet outside these four walls the whole neighborhood has overtaken you you're in love with the Memories John I don't know what to say thank you for your honesty I need a shower I stink of plant juice I'm not going to close the doors just because he said he said so I don't agree with him 100% game on all right within a short time of his arrival Chef Ramsey has discovered that the staff may actually actually know more than the owner what are we supposed to do so we didn't make these recipes and now he's eager to see how the team functions in a dinner service oh my God hello how are we doing welcome to Mar thank second course papad Del tomato sauce our boxes pizza box is Grand before Rapido what's going on down here hello business running as nor John yes this is if I wasn't here you'd be doing the exactly the same exactly the same no difference you're going to leave give me that pter Bell on clam I need that first so that's what John would normally do just all night on the pizza is out there yeah I mean he doesn't come in here he just stays out there all night he's afraid I think he's afraid of the kitchen he's afraid of the kitchen I think so sir he owns the place I know it's crazy inside as John seems content to pound away at the pizza oven Margarita sauce Margarita the kitchen led by Joe is pushing out food at a steady Pace pick it up here is your pasta but that doesn't mean the fast arriving food is pleasing the customers how's everything um the shells are like frozen it look like it's freezer burned all I got was Rosemary all I taste is Rosemary I don't taste any of the sauca found a bone in my Sal a bone I'm a vegetarian who inside the Sal Joe 2 seconds there's a bone in a artini is vegetarian and the tomato sauce they put pork bones in it what the she's vegetarian that's how we do it every day John is responsible for the methods that we use to produce the food get me John urgently he says if you don't like it leave John this this is urgent now lady just found a pork bone in the rig we to give to sace but we always always added sausage sace so you're serving pork bones in the sauce to a vegetarian oh Jes that's how we prepared food for the last 40 years and I don't see it being a problem a pork sauce to a vegetarian it's the way we've always done our business but you can't serve a vegetarian a pork sauce oh what the is going on here I don't know what what had enough had enough had enough do you want me to order you a coffee will that make it better are you okay cuz I can't hear you are you waiting for the bathroom no um my friend got sick is he vegetarian no no what did he have the lobster tail and the lobster he said tasted um funny and next thing I knew he John you to a gentleman being sick in the bo yeah he had Lobster I had the mushroom and then would you like a medical assistance would you Lu for me to call 911 Joe Pass me a lobster tail please I need one lobster tail it's tough right why the guy's thrown up he's in the bathroom and he's sick please show me exactly what you serve that customer yeah please thank you hell you all right okay no Che your blobster is ready John come here you just smell it seriously fishy I can smell the ammonia yeah you smell that and that's what that man's just eaten that's demonia that's what releases when a body starts to decompose it's been pulled apart and then decomposed that's what makes it bad Joe just clarify something for me we could possibly kill them kill someone and whilst we're discussing this and there's a man vomiting in the toilet now I can't believe this is happening right now feels like to know that you got somebody sick and it's the first time you've got your head out the D but it's John's responsibility no matter what because John buys all the product that we use yeah please should we call an ambulance it does not look well an ambulance hi this is Sal pizz I need an ambulance the customer's not feeling well your face is really flushed oh my God my worst fear is anybody get sick in my restaurant where's a shot of something I need a shot I need a shot or something I got a guy vomiting I don't give me give me something give me quick F faka somebody came to your house and you cooked them a dinner how would you feel he started puking all over the place a guy had some Lobster and he has a reaction to it the gentleman sitting down oh my God we just saw an ambulance come out yes oh my God needs to kill the cameras kill the cameras it's dinner service at Mama Maria's you all right okay no one of the diners is feeling ill after eating a questionable Lobster smell it seriously fishy and that's what that man's defeat him and the par Medics have just arrived on the scene a guy had some Lobster and he has a reaction to it the gentleman's sitting down it's terrible for anybody to get sick on anything that you suck you you I want to stop everything just close the place down now okay so whatever's been Ser this I do not want to I do not want to serve anything else it to vegetarians now this I got it just stop everybody stop okay nothing else leaves this kitchen unless it's going in a garbage bag Okay so when I shut it down I just kick everybody apologize no check deeply sorry and we have an issue that I have to deal with my apologies okay we need to close go to the tables tell everybody they need to go no checks just go okay close them so sorry but we're going to close the restaurant down too should we not eat this yes don't eat it just yeah don't need it just we're shutting down we are shutting down sorry am I going to get sick from the appetizer we is that that kind of thing just they're not going to serve anything else it's embarrassing to have paramedics walk into your restaurant and to have to shut down your restaurant because of that should we take his contact information or any kind of information like that John can I have a word outside John tonight was beyond a disaster I never expected this never my wild those dreams all humiliation but it's not just bad food John it's bad practices that mean you're so detached from your business you don't look like an owner you don't sound like an owner you're like a member of Staff back there you you're right but why I don't know why I don't know why I just because I think I've been beat up too much there's got to be some fight inside there's got to be some listen I am a fighter I've been a fighter my entire life I was thrown into this place because they needed to they needed a horse a donkey to run the place cuz they couldn't afford to hire people they sacrificed my education and throw me in here but you've given up come on you're destroying yourself listen I'll be change I will help you but you have to understand you cannot be a member of Staff pounding dough that's not right you shouldn't be doing that I do it because I love my family and I want to provide for them the best way I know how do you think they get joyment what you knew kill yourself in there John come on you have to take a big long step back and stop running this place from a pizzza oven no I I can't I'm in no emotionally I can't why I need to take a break I you out of I want you to get some rest okay I well so that no no no listen you're an owner hey I can see the pain I feel it let me tell you I've got four kids of my own and I know how hard it is but I'm here for you and I want you to win understand that manto man I'm telling you I want you to win you have got to listen okay we can do this right you do I want to do it good have start kids let's do it for the okay see you in the morning Chef Ramsey may have pledged his help to John but he needs to get a handle on everything before he can Implement changes so early this morning he does a little research what is this bloody h time to see how much frozen food there really is oh God thisy h f a chy penny they said they had frozen food but I certainly wasn't aware there was just much oh my God this goes on it's endless how much pastor's in here look at the colors it's Frozen badly no date no name look at it oh you kidding me what is that sa skin I mean honestly look at this buckets of them what's that that's just out of two freezers and look there's more freezers down there oh my God you are kidding me chicken freezer burned oh man look at this this must be 5 years old this stuff it's ruined you can't cook that oh my God oh Jesus this is a joke look at that oh come on meatballs this is ridiculous they're frozen molded what's that oh God no dates No Labels another freezer frozen vegetables frozen pasta my God I don't know what it is an ice cream container some are filled with pasta shells look at this stuff freezing T Su you are kidding me that's egg plant how many portions of food is here it's just endless horrified by the amount of frozen food wow Chef Ramsey is determined to give John and his staff unbelievable a much needed wakeup call how are you today good day yesterday yeah I've just spoken to Charles the diner from last night he got checked out this morning at the hospital totally fine okay big breath of fresh hair there let me tell you I was really nervous we all we all today we start fresh fortunately we are still a little Frozen in the past come with me oh boy let's go let me show you something come in wow what the is this that's our menu what do you think it is this is our store John I've never ever encountered anything like this in my entire cooking career ever never if we had to not touch anything else in this kitchen and cook what we you got you'd be open for the next 12 months and still not run out oh my god wow come on we have 40 Stacks that's like 400 lb of chicken Kentucky Fried Chicken probably doesn't have that much chicken on hand John do you have any idea that this is going on yes it is it's it's amazing when you look at it but I knew it was going on look at the meatballs freaking turn color hey don't throw it at me come on guys there's more Joe I know there's more downstairs there's more it pains me you're right there's no there's no way around it this is my this is my fault it's a sad truth it is it lies with me this is my fault I let this get out of out of my grasp past Glory we used to do 10 cases of chicken in 2 weeks I'm still buying like we were busy at that at that level and we're not the restaurant is struggling as it is but you're losing money twice as fast try to change something that's no is that true he's trying to change you're saying no yes there resistance to change yes so another my big problem like I told you look at this how long do you think those have been special where's this from I I listen I'm just asking it's not how long has that been here since my parents died I don't want to take it down I don't post the specials it's just something of memory to me but that's the really important issue and you mustn't take this personally you're still treating this business as if Mom and Dad are here we have to let go throw it out it's holding me on to the bed throw it out no I'm not asking you to throw that out home take it home no joh I don't want to get upset but you got to understand you got to let go of the past okay yep guys get the out of here John let's go I am here to help you but I can just see the pressure I can feel no it's not the FR I I don't want to be here no more not I don't want to to be here I don't want to be in this position no more it's just sad just being here every day working seven days a week I don't know if I told you I wasn't educated my mom and dad threw me in here I would come home from school not to eat lunch to serve lunch how old was a kid 8 10 and this has been my life ever since it's just sad to sit here every day knowing what we used to do and not be able to do what I used to do anymore he just you holding on to the wrong things and I think deep down inside you're just running scared I don't want to be scared no I want to fight my wife I sent my kids to Camp they was so happy that you would com in my third child sent to me Daddy we he's going to fix everything and we get to spend more time to together hey you will but you have got to let go of the past it's your turn now I am here to help you do you understand but it's on one condition you step away from that P I want a commitment that you are not going to jump behind there on the safety n it's going to be hard I just want a commitment from you that you're going to get your head out the door yes I will yes I will start making it not pounding it all right yeah let's do it let's do it can you hear what's going on out there I hear it I hear that's for a reason I hope they're listening it's going to be extremely hard not to fall back into your old habits but I'm ready to from today on change my ways and move forward and not let that ever happen again Chef Ramsey clearly feels for this owner and is now ready to reveal the first important change Festival good morning good morning sir oh good morning where are you we hear you but I don't see you don't worry about that we are relaunching Mama Maria's excited good remove your blindfolds oh my god wow oh that awning is gone that's right the only has gone let me welcome you to the new sign Mama Maria when I first arrived here I saw a disgusting awning letters cut out just hideous this now is your first statement it says a lot first impressions let me tell you oh yeah I like it looks modern I've made some minor changes inside minor trust me when you walk through those doors I think you're going to crap yourself let's go in come in please oh wow holy crap wow wow oh my God this is totally different first of all welcome to the new bright vibrant mama maras and my goodness does it scream Brook oh wow totally different when I first came in here it was resembling a restaurant that hadn't been touched in years it was dark it was grimy and it had no life we've got stunning turquoise WS that gives that nice vibrant hop the custom artwork done by a very talented artists painting the beautiful historic Brooklyn Bridge above your fireplace I like that I think this is what Brooklyn wants and needs we got rid of all the Clutter that John just is holding on to we have on the wall your parents in full-blown stunning photographs which is an amazing memory to hold on to oh have a look at the uh paper that's your mom you didn't see that no that's me serving the dog I didn't notice the pictures never forget this day moving forward a new beginning in the history of the stunning family run mama maras let me tell you this is my family this is me it was here in front of my eyes I didn't see it it's amazing it's changing from old to new what I let him go the past the past is still here with us and I got a new lease online Chef Ramsay's remodel of the restaurant is only part of his master plan come through please the overhaul of the menu is the real key to turning this Brooklyn eery around first of all just take a look at the vibrancy looks great fresh yeah that's what I want too that's what I need right menu starting off with a delicious Bretta it's done with a really nice chopped up mozzarella serves marinated tomatoes earthy rustic and Charming brilliant and fresh the muscles are just incredible a great little appetizer to get the pet the juices flowing the specialities of the house the pizzas Margarita stunning simple delicious you hit it on ahead next to that you've got the ozuko served in it cooking juices over mashed potato Galata and a really nice rich Demi glass I'm hungry you're hungry that's a great sign boss John what do you think I'm excited you're excited here's the scenario we have some very very influential journalists and bloggers coming in everybody on their game yes sir one more thing these a little spruing up got this for you especially nicey beautiful shirt after 40 years I got to take my colors off that's right cuz you're no longer a pizza boy you are the owner if I catch your head inside that pizza oven I'll put it in permanently and as I look at you now right over your shoulder I see your father looking down look at him look that's right and you are going to run this business just like they did when they brought you into this world you got it it's relaunch night we got some big hitters in tonight yeah and Chef Ramsay is determined to let everyone know that Mama Maria's is the new cool place to dine in Brooklyn first off EA in Brooklyn blogging website Dynamic Blackboard eats blog great we're going to impress him eat to blog are also joining us followed by the New York Observer big one absolutely big one get nervous you have got a Powerhouse full of critics look how smart you are wow turn around give us a spin amazing amazing amazing let's go welcome to Mama Maria this is our brand new menu welcome to Mama Maria's our relaunch and I'm very proud of what we're doing now we um have the that two to Comm in just recognize them New York Observer the guy with a notepad he's the man 2.4 million readers don't tell me who they are cuz I'll get nervous no I just told you you need to know who they are let's go you can do it it's tough taking on this new role you know it's not my makeup I'll grab them two all right I need to step away from that pizza coun there and be more handson to make sure everybody's doing their job and doing it correctly table four New York Observer yes okay okay listen up first course ministr and a Caesar you got it I need this RTO cabelli please 30 seconds in the window good while John may be in the familiar rule of leading his staff how we doing over here as the pizza's all done there's another one coming Mama Maria is off to a good start pick up Las and Y spaghetti meatballs and customers are thoroughly enjoying the food Y is delicious I think the sauce is spot on delicious but while Chef Joe continues to push dishes out in a timely manner muscles in the window Bretta in the window let's go was a typical Southern Italian red SAU joint JN seems to have forgotten that he is still needed in his new role as leader is so hungry yeah I'm really hungry too table four in the window let's go it's a vlogger table guys let's go Rapido it's very frustrating when I see dishes not leaving the window there's no time for mistakes I ain't got time for this where is John let's go get me John let me get him are you serious right now son of a there's a guy walking around here with a white jacket blonde hair a for sake John yes sir so you can't just favor two guys at the bar you've got to be everywhere in and out we're in the middle of service I'm not letting you sink the dining room this place is full of some of the most influental influential bloggers step up period end the story what we have to encourage don't stop you cannot stop we're going to communicate with our team we got VIP tabls out there okay the stuff I'll take it out them I'll take it out them okay beautiful let's not drop our heads let's bounce back okay here you go guys thank you oh I'm so happy sorry about the service we're trying our best we're trying to keep up and we're trying to whatever we can this was the first time John was acting like the owner he is tonight you're doing great you're doing great all right keep it up and that's exactly what mama and Maria needs this looks awesome and it smells yum this is delicious let me know when that Margarita is ready please I need that Margarita so guys how did everything go the spaghetti meatballs were absolutely spectacular thank you we'll definitely be coming here again great job well done have a good night thank you thank you bye thank Youk you good night guys John listen you are one hardworking honest guy thank you I feel I was living in a shell I'm coming out of that shell that shell is broken CU and I got to be honest with you you hit it man you hit it right on the head here's my memories Mom and Dad are here yeah they're here they're still here and so they are looking down and they right now are proud you the door open open and grab it just go forward don't go backwards no no no I'm not going backwards I refuse to go backwards good one thing I remember my father was is leadership and that's what I'm going to continue doing thank you so much take care of yourself I know what I need to do and there's more to come of Mama Maria's in the future for the last 55 years this restaurant has belonged to John's parents and even after they sadly passed away he remained a pizza maker but tonight he was an owner this restaurant now belongs to John and John only and I'm truly and I mean truly rooting for this Brooklyn Underdog how much water can be put in one plant pot God bless pizzas after Chef Ramsey left welcome to Mama Maria John has kept his promise of running his business away from the pizza counter I need a bowl of grated cheese please a bowl of grated cheese Mama Maria has already generated a ton of positive buzz from bloggers and websites really good thank you I help Ramsey we've come a long way and this 55-year-old restaurant is on its way back to being a fixture in Brooklyn once againin Brooklyn New York lies the historic neighborhood of Cobble Hill a hip thriving area and home to Sal's Pizzeria run by John Esposito my parents came here from Italy and they took over this Pizzeria in 1970 and at the age of 14 I left High School to help my mom and dad run the business this has become my life ever since hello s how can I help you we ran the place very successfully thank you by the '90s we were able to purchase the restaurant next door hello how are we doing welcome to marus thank you my mom became sick she got diagnosed with cancer and we thought the right thing to do was to name the room after my mom that's why you have styles pizza and Mama Maria his father passed away his mom passed away he was the only one in charge of everything and as the years passed it started to go down we don't have that kind of volume of sales that we once had and I can't figure out the reason why I dropped off where's the people AB stay the same I haven't changed they weren't a fan of the eggplant I don't know what they're doing over there John as the owner is supposed to be in charge of this whole place including the kitchen but he's usually up front making pizzas covered in in flour it's a nightmare right it is a nightmare a pizzeria and a restaurant are two different animals that's like the accountant that thought it'd be cool to open a wine B stop paying attention over here for a minute get in the kitchen really look at what's going on John treats this place like his second home he's got four kids that are always here running around the restaurant it doesn't really look good for the restaurant John is an extremely stubborn owner all right so this is the way we're going to set up the table listen R down here it's my restaurant in his mind the system has worked but it really stopped working like 20 years ago kill used to be a very old school Italian neighborhood but now we have much much younger people moving in uh a lot of people like to call them hipsters hey sorry uh spaghetti doesn't taste quite right I don't know what to tell you it's the first tomato sauce throw this out am I going to put on plastic glasses get a funky haircut put an earring in my ear just to accommodate the new people in I'm not going to do that how about things on this side a bad horrible really yeah John is holding on to the past and to the way things were done when his parents ran the business when didn't do anything tonight we didn't even do a quar of what we used to do any businessman would have said enough is enough pull the plug but how do you pull the plug on family history pretty tough yeah we got to do something to boost these checks this place it's Mom and Dad losing ones like Ling app parent again I'm not prepared to handle that Mama maras what is that that is ghastly holes everywhere that is not a good sign damn my goodness me hello how are you kid how are you first name is Fabio yeah good to see you I'm the manager here that outside looks like an I saw whose idea was that the owner he actually cut the letters out why guess cuz it was tearing and he just completed the whole thing and the owner is John and he is where next door he's respons responsible for like the pizzeria so two restaurants right Mama Maria's I'm standing in right and then there's child's Pizzeria next door um right I'm going to go meet the owner thank you no problem wow so Sal's pizzera John there he's there how are you very well thank you how are you good thank you excellent so are you filling in today someone phoning sick I pretty much make the pizzas yeah I always work the front of the C that Mak oh so you're behind there constant yeah wow how long have you making pizzas since I'm 10 years old that's incredible I got confused with a hideous canopy outside was that you cut holes in the canopy uh actually the wind did that the wind did that yeah anyway come around let's have a a catch up okay first of all give me a little insight the history my mom and dad had a pizzeria and my father my my mother did all the cooking in the back by the '90s my mom got sick she came down with cancer she passed first I'm sorry he's no longer with me wow so that's why it has two different names Mom and Dad Salam Maria right combined restaurants what is the number one problem here we're not busy we're not busy uh there's more competition in the neighborhood than uh we're struggling we're struggling to keep the doors open it's a hard pill to swallow yeah I can see that um I'd like to e and find out what's going on here it's very uncomfortable for me to sit here right now and ask for help thank you I'm not feeling who I am I feel weak oh hello hello how are you good how are you and this is Lori Lori nice to see you nice to meet you what' you do I'm the waitress excellent what's wrong with the restant um lack of leadership uh John's a little frantic chaotic um usually very busy in the pizzeria John has been here forever so you would think John would know how to run this place but he's doesn't want to change anything because this is what his parents knew before they passed away homemade pastas pasta made daily on the premises all the passes made fresh on a daily basis yep okay um start off with the toini Pata okay I got to try the spaghetti meatballs SP me B Margarita please okay thank you wow bang reganada second course you got the talini Pate the food is not good here but it's not my food I'm sorry it the same way we always serve it oh boy I think the chef Ram is going to have a heart attack when he sees what goes on around here oh my god oh hello Hi how are you I'm how are you good I'm Fran ni you too Fran nice to see you D what did you do I just showed the desserts okay let's let's have a look show me wow so they showcase the desserts M so this is our desserts everything's made here fresh on promise so jeez what is that it's butter oh it's butter yeah just a display as the ice cream and that uh that mold on there you show that No the butter is on top so it covers that and that bit there yeah and Fabio you're the general manager right so you've got no idea of this we're presenting those moldy bits of and it's stuck with butter on top those are just for display hold on because they for display you've got the right to cake them in mold and serve customers a display that's full of mold so we supposed to like a fresh one every day so we can throw it out are you kidding me what do you think I think that you know as long as it's I mean it's fresh that's good I mean but I wouldn't but I wouldn't are you I mean have you lost the plot no I haven't it's changed colors four times and it absolutely reeks all I'm saying is that this is for display we're not serving it so do the customers deserve a display that's full of oh my God he's ripping into him he's ripping into him man look at this mess oh my God that it must be 2 months old it's probably a few days old a few days uh we don't serve it it's for presentation I'm aware you're not serving it thank gold star congratulations on that one that's that's a big breakthrough with you that's why you're here excuse me that's why you're here I'm here to tell you that that's and you shouldn't be presenting it you don't know the difference between mold and fresh it's for presentation of give me two seconds I'm going need to clean my hands I've caked in mold I got disgusting butter and I've got hands full of pus oh my god oh Christ almighty you got tal cing no he's going to come throw it at us I'd rather him throw it at us than me serve it to him the patata thank you you're welcome I don't know it's bland I mean really Bland and Visually looks like someone's just eaten that whole dessert tray and it shot out twice as quick as it went in Lori it's is blat they really black I'll let them know and this is frozen cuz there's a grainy potato flavor inside that I don't think anything's Frozen here so the toor aren't Frozen I'll double check thank you uhoh you said it was very very Bland he asked if the um the toor leing were frozen I wasn't sure if they were frozen or not he's right all off pasta is fresh frozen that's the most mindboggling thing in this place we make everything and then freeze it Chef the Twitter Lees are frozen oh they are frozen they are so you advertise you're making it daily but you freeze it daily something's wrong Big Time thank you wow this a totally news fro I I can't I didn't even know this me either I thought everything was like fresh it makes no sense what to make it fresh and then freeze it and then freeze it it makes no sense does anyone clean here Fab how often is this place cleaned I have no idea you've got no idea when this place was last cleaned they don't have a cleaning crew all these I true I have to ask TR what's that smelling here that's the smell oh my God what in the damn it was a little bit of a payback cuz he just finished tearing me apart I thought that was a little bit of karma did I get you yeah where in the did all that come from they over flooded it who watered the plants this morning Chan they're full of water somebody watered the plants someone's doing a great job at watering plants but not changing desserts man wow yeah I'll pay for any dry cleaning right okay F me the spaghetti and meatball I would say Enjoy but I know better spaghetti meatballs spaghetti meatballs um fresh meatballs or Frozen Frozen oh come on everything is frozen look at that now inside how rubbery it looks even before tasting it man look at that how dry that is dry disgusting frozen meatballs uhoh meatballs are frozen rubbery and dry he's right okay every product we use in here is Frozen when I first started here we caught up a leg of ve and I'm still waiting to use it and here's your pizza for margar to Pizza it's very Creasy yeah got oil slicks in here doesn't like the pizza either it's to greasy that's just full of grease Lori the pizza's grease is anything but what concerns me that John's behind the bar all these Foods coming out and I want him to taste what he's sending me cuz I'm a little bit miffed to why I'm here if no one's caring okay please sure wow you said the pizza is greasy and that you should be tasting everything that before it gets sent out to him have enough oh boy oh my God I don't I've had enough had enough I've had enough after being disappointed by Bland frozen food and greasy pizza at Brooklyn's Mama Maria's a joke Chef ramsy heads to the kitchen looking for an explanation I don't want to talk to this guy when he comes in here come on everybody outside uh introduce me to who's who this is Joel Joel this is ask how are you Hi how are hello sir Valentino how are you good to meet you likewise good to see you too um I don't know where to start I've just had one of the most disgusting lunches I've ever had I stopped a desert DT tray full of moldy desserts and the torini grainy Bland and the potato was just Dreadful the meatballs Frozen dry solid yes they're disgusting I don't need them but you can't make meatballs every day you get 20 lb of chopped meat you make the meatballs and you freeze the rest do you know how long it takes to make 5 lb of Meatballs 10 minutes it's what we've done all our lifetime I haven't just started this yesterday the meatballs are always done if you get away with it 19 1967 it's 2012 John does anyone have standards here we're not in control of the menu whose menu is it it's my menu I'm embarrassed to do some of the things that we do here you kidding me we make pasta fresh and we freeze it like are you crazy but why are you doing it I don't have a choice who's stopping you the menu my menu why don't you listen to this man he's spoken more sense in the last 5 minutes than anybody has since the been here do you listen to your staff they're not paying my bills I'm the guy paying the bills oh cuz you make the pizza and so they can't have a voice you should be nowhere near this business I don't agree with you I think we should close the doors I don't think this man actually gives a I didn't I didn't call you because I want to put the key to the door if I need you to tell me to put the key to the door I would have done that without you coming here it worked before why can't it work now but you're running on Nostalgia it Stood Still and yet outside these four walls the whole neighborhood has overtaken you you're in love with the Memories John I don't know what to say thank you for your honesty I need a shower I stink of plant juice I'm not going to close the doors just because he said he said so I don't agree with him 100% game on all right within a short time of his arrival Chef Ramsey has discovered that the staff may actually actually know more than the owner what are we supposed to do so we didn't make these recipes and now he's eager to see how the team functions in a dinner service oh my God hello how are we doing welcome to Mar thank second course papad Del tomato sauce our boxes pizza box is Grand before Rapido what's going on down here hello business running as nor John yes this is if I wasn't here you'd be doing the exactly the same exactly the same no difference you're going to leave give me that pter Bell on clam I need that first so that's what John would normally do just all night on the pizza is out there yeah I mean he doesn't come in here he just stays out there all night he's afraid I think he's afraid of the kitchen he's afraid of the kitchen I think so sir he owns the place I know it's crazy inside as John seems content to pound away at the pizza oven Margarita sauce Margarita the kitchen led by Joe is pushing out food at a steady Pace pick it up here is your pasta but that doesn't mean the fast arriving food is pleasing the customers how's everything um the shells are like frozen it look like it's freezer burned all I got was Rosemary all I taste is Rosemary I don't taste any of the sauca found a bone in my Sal a bone I'm a vegetarian who inside the Sal Joe 2 seconds there's a bone in a artini is vegetarian and the tomato sauce they put pork bones in it what the she's vegetarian that's how we do it every day John is responsible for the methods that we use to produce the food get me John urgently he says if you don't like it leave John this this is urgent now lady just found a pork bone in the rig we to give to sace but we always always added sausage sace so you're serving pork bones in the sauce to a vegetarian oh Jes that's how we prepared food for the last 40 years and I don't see it being a problem a pork sauce to a vegetarian it's the way we've always done our business but you can't serve a vegetarian a pork sauce oh what the is going on here I don't know what what had enough had enough had enough do you want me to order you a coffee will that make it better are you okay cuz I can't hear you are you waiting for the bathroom no um my friend got sick is he vegetarian no no what did he have the lobster tail and the lobster he said tasted um funny and next thing I knew he John you to a gentleman being sick in the bo yeah he had Lobster I had the mushroom and then would you like a medical assistance would you Lu for me to call 911 Joe Pass me a lobster tail please I need one lobster tail it's tough right why the guy's thrown up he's in the bathroom and he's sick please show me exactly what you serve that customer yeah please thank you hell you all right okay no Che your blobster is ready John come here you just smell it seriously fishy I can smell the ammonia yeah you smell that and that's what that man's just eaten that's demonia that's what releases when a body starts to decompose it's been pulled apart and then decomposed that's what makes it bad Joe just clarify something for me we could possibly kill them kill someone and whilst we're discussing this and there's a man vomiting in the toilet now I can't believe this is happening right now feels like to know that you got somebody sick and it's the first time you've got your head out the D but it's John's responsibility no matter what because John buys all the product that we use yeah please should we call an ambulance it does not look well an ambulance hi this is Sal pizz I need an ambulance the customer's not feeling well your face is really flushed oh my God my worst fear is anybody get sick in my restaurant where's a shot of something I need a shot I need a shot or something I got a guy vomiting I don't give me give me something give me quick F faka somebody came to your house and you cooked them a dinner how would you feel he started puking all over the place a guy had some Lobster and he has a reaction to it the gentleman sitting down oh my God we just saw an ambulance come out yes oh my God needs to kill the cameras kill the cameras it's dinner service at Mama Maria's you all right okay no one of the diners is feeling ill after eating a questionable Lobster smell it seriously fishy and that's what that man's defeat him and the par Medics have just arrived on the scene a guy had some Lobster and he has a reaction to it the gentleman's sitting down it's terrible for anybody to get sick on anything that you suck you you I want to stop everything just close the place down now okay so whatever's been Ser this I do not want to I do not want to serve anything else it to vegetarians now this I got it just stop everybody stop okay nothing else leaves this kitchen unless it's going in a garbage bag Okay so when I shut it down I just kick everybody apologize no check deeply sorry and we have an issue that I have to deal with my apologies okay we need to close go to the tables tell everybody they need to go no checks just go okay close them so sorry but we're going to close the restaurant down too should we not eat this yes don't eat it just yeah don't need it just we're shutting down we are shutting down sorry am I going to get sick from the appetizer we is that that kind of thing just they're not going to serve anything else it's embarrassing to have paramedics walk into your restaurant and to have to shut down your restaurant because of that should we take his contact information or any kind of information like that John can I have a word outside John tonight was beyond a disaster I never expected this never my wild those dreams all humiliation but it's not just bad food John it's bad practices that mean you're so detached from your business you don't look like an owner you don't sound like an owner you're like a member of Staff back there you you're right but why I don't know why I don't know why I just because I think I've been beat up too much there's got to be some fight inside there's got to be some listen I am a fighter I've been a fighter my entire life I was thrown into this place because they needed to they needed a horse a donkey to run the place cuz they couldn't afford to hire people they sacrificed my education and throw me in here but you've given up come on you're destroying yourself listen I'll be change I will help you but you have to understand you cannot be a member of Staff pounding dough that's not right you shouldn't be doing that I do it because I love my family and I want to provide for them the best way I know how do you think they get joyment what you knew kill yourself in there John come on you have to take a big long step back and stop running this place from a pizzza oven no I I can't I'm in no emotionally I can't why I need to take a break I you out of I want you to get some rest okay I well so that no no no listen you're an owner hey I can see the pain I feel it let me tell you I've got four kids of my own and I know how hard it is but I'm here for you and I want you to win understand that manto man I'm telling you I want you to win you have got to listen okay we can do this right you do I want to do it good have start kids let's do it for the okay see you in the morning Chef Ramsey may have pledged his help to John but he needs to get a handle on everything before he can Implement changes so early this morning he does a little research what is this bloody h time to see how much frozen food there really is oh God thisy h f a chy penny they said they had frozen food but I certainly wasn't aware there was just much oh my God this goes on it's endless how much pastor's in here look at the colors it's Frozen badly no date no name look at it oh you kidding me what is that sa skin I mean honestly look at this buckets of them what's that that's just out of two freezers and look there's more freezers down there oh my God you are kidding me chicken freezer burned oh man look at this this must be 5 years old this stuff it's ruined you can't cook that oh my God oh Jesus this is a joke look at that oh come on meatballs this is ridiculous they're frozen molded what's that oh God no dates No Labels another freezer frozen vegetables frozen pasta my God I don't know what it is an ice cream container some are filled with pasta shells look at this stuff freezing T Su you are kidding me that's egg plant how many portions of food is here it's just endless horrified by the amount of frozen food wow Chef Ramsey is determined to give John and his staff unbelievable a much needed wakeup call how are you today good day yesterday yeah I've just spoken to Charles the diner from last night he got checked out this morning at the hospital totally fine okay big breath of fresh hair there let me tell you I was really nervous we all we all today we start fresh fortunately we are still a little Frozen in the past come with me oh boy let's go let me show you something come in wow what the is this that's our menu what do you think it is this is our store John I've never ever encountered anything like this in my entire cooking career ever never if we had to not touch anything else in this kitchen and cook what we you got you'd be open for the next 12 months and still not run out oh my god wow come on we have 40 Stacks that's like 400 lb of chicken Kentucky Fried Chicken probably doesn't have that much chicken on hand John do you have any idea that this is going on yes it is it's it's amazing when you look at it but I knew it was going on look at the meatballs freaking turn color hey don't throw it at me come on guys there's more Joe I know there's more downstairs there's more it pains me you're right there's no there's no way around it this is my this is my fault it's a sad truth it is it lies with me this is my fault I let this get out of out of my grasp past Glory we used to do 10 cases of chicken in 2 weeks I'm still buying like we were busy at that at that level and we're not the restaurant is struggling as it is but you're losing money twice as fast try to change something that's no is that true he's trying to change you're saying no yes there resistance to change yes so another my big problem like I told you look at this how long do you think those have been special where's this from I I listen I'm just asking it's not how long has that been here since my parents died I don't want to take it down I don't post the specials it's just something of memory to me but that's the really important issue and you mustn't take this personally you're still treating this business as if Mom and Dad are here we have to let go throw it out it's holding me on to the bed throw it out no I'm not asking you to throw that out home take it home no joh I don't want to get upset but you got to understand you got to let go of the past okay yep guys get the out of here John let's go I am here to help you but I can just see the pressure I can feel no it's not the FR I I don't want to be here no more not I don't want to to be here I don't want to be in this position no more it's just sad just being here every day working seven days a week I don't know if I told you I wasn't educated my mom and dad threw me in here I would come home from school not to eat lunch to serve lunch how old was a kid 8 10 and this has been my life ever since it's just sad to sit here every day knowing what we used to do and not be able to do what I used to do anymore he just you holding on to the wrong things and I think deep down inside you're just running scared I don't want to be scared no I want to fight my wife I sent my kids to Camp they was so happy that you would com in my third child sent to me Daddy we he's going to fix everything and we get to spend more time to together hey you will but you have got to let go of the past it's your turn now I am here to help you do you understand but it's on one condition you step away from that P I want a commitment that you are not going to jump behind there on the safety n it's going to be hard I just want a commitment from you that you're going to get your head out the door yes I will yes I will start making it not pounding it all right yeah let's do it let's do it can you hear what's going on out there I hear it I hear that's for a reason I hope they're listening it's going to be extremely hard not to fall back into your old habits but I'm ready to from today on change my ways and move forward and not let that ever happen again Chef Ramsey clearly feels for this owner and is now ready to reveal the first important change Festival good morning good morning sir oh good morning where are you we hear you but I don't see you don't worry about that we are relaunching Mama Maria's excited good remove your blindfolds oh my god wow oh that awning is gone that's right the only has gone let me welcome you to the new sign Mama Maria when I first arrived here I saw a disgusting awning letters cut out just hideous this now is your first statement it says a lot first impressions let me tell you oh yeah I like it looks modern I've made some minor changes inside minor trust me when you walk through those doors I think you're going to crap yourself let's go in come in please oh wow holy crap wow wow oh my God this is totally different first of all welcome to the new bright vibrant mama maras and my goodness does it scream Brook oh wow totally different when I first came in here it was resembling a restaurant that hadn't been touched in years it was dark it was grimy and it had no life we've got stunning turquoise WS that gives that nice vibrant hop the custom artwork done by a very talented artists painting the beautiful historic Brooklyn Bridge above your fireplace I like that I think this is what Brooklyn wants and needs we got rid of all the Clutter that John just is holding on to we have on the wall your parents in full-blown stunning photographs which is an amazing memory to hold on to oh have a look at the uh paper that's your mom you didn't see that no that's me serving the dog I didn't notice the pictures never forget this day moving forward a new beginning in the history of the stunning family run mama maras let me tell you this is my family this is me it was here in front of my eyes I didn't see it it's amazing it's changing from old to new what I let him go the past the past is still here with us and I got a new lease online Chef Ramsay's remodel of the restaurant is only part of his master plan come through please the overhaul of the menu is the real key to turning this Brooklyn eery around first of all just take a look at the vibrancy looks great fresh yeah that's what I want too that's what I need right menu starting off with a delicious Bretta it's done with a really nice chopped up mozzarella serves marinated tomatoes earthy rustic and Charming brilliant and fresh the muscles are just incredible a great little appetizer to get the pet the juices flowing the specialities of the house the pizzas Margarita stunning simple delicious you hit it on ahead next to that you've got the ozuko served in it cooking juices over mashed potato Galata and a really nice rich Demi glass I'm hungry you're hungry that's a great sign boss John what do you think I'm excited you're excited here's the scenario we have some very very influential journalists and bloggers coming in everybody on their game yes sir one more thing these a little spruing up got this for you especially nicey beautiful shirt after 40 years I got to take my colors off that's right cuz you're no longer a pizza boy you are the owner if I catch your head inside that pizza oven I'll put it in permanently and as I look at you now right over your shoulder I see your father looking down look at him look that's right and you are going to run this business just like they did when they brought you into this world you got it it's relaunch night we got some big hitters in tonight yeah and Chef Ramsay is determined to let everyone know that Mama Maria's is the new cool place to dine in Brooklyn first off EA in Brooklyn blogging website Dynamic Blackboard eats blog great we're going to impress him eat to blog are also joining us followed by the New York Observer big one absolutely big one get nervous you have got a Powerhouse full of critics look how smart you are wow turn around give us a spin amazing amazing amazing let's go welcome to Mama Maria this is our brand new menu welcome to Mama Maria's our relaunch and I'm very proud of what we're doing now we um have the that two to Comm in just recognize them New York Observer the guy with a notepad he's the man 2.4 million readers don't tell me who they are cuz I'll get nervous no I just told you you need to know who they are let's go you can do it it's tough taking on this new role you know it's not my makeup I'll grab them two all right I need to step away from that pizza coun there and be more handson to make sure everybody's doing their job and doing it correctly table four New York Observer yes okay okay listen up first course ministr and a Caesar you got it I need this RTO cabelli please 30 seconds in the window good while John may be in the familiar rule of leading his staff how we doing over here as the pizza's all done there's another one coming Mama Maria is off to a good start pick up Las and Y spaghetti meatballs and customers are thoroughly enjoying the food Y is delicious I think the sauce is spot on delicious but while Chef Joe continues to push dishes out in a timely manner muscles in the window Bretta in the window let's go was a typical Southern Italian red SAU joint JN seems to have forgotten that he is still needed in his new role as leader is so hungry yeah I'm really hungry too table four in the window let's go it's a vlogger table guys let's go Rapido it's very frustrating when I see dishes not leaving the window there's no time for mistakes I ain't got time for this where is John let's go get me John let me get him are you serious right now son of a there's a guy walking around here with a white jacket blonde hair a for sake John yes sir so you can't just favor two guys at the bar you've got to be everywhere in and out we're in the middle of service I'm not letting you sink the dining room this place is full of some of the most influental influential bloggers step up period end the story what we have to encourage don't stop you cannot stop we're going to communicate with our team we got VIP tabls out there okay the stuff I'll take it out them I'll take it out them okay beautiful let's not drop our heads let's bounce back okay here you go guys thank you oh I'm so happy sorry about the service we're trying our best we're trying to keep up and we're trying to whatever we can this was the first time John was acting like the owner he is tonight you're doing great you're doing great all right keep it up and that's exactly what mama and Maria needs this looks awesome and it smells yum this is delicious let me know when that Margarita is ready please I need that Margarita so guys how did everything go the spaghetti meatballs were absolutely spectacular thank you we'll definitely be coming here again great job well done have a good night thank you thank you bye thank Youk you good night guys John listen you are one hardworking honest guy thank you I feel I was living in a shell I'm coming out of that shell that shell is broken CU and I got to be honest with you you hit it man you hit it right on the head here's my memories Mom and Dad are here yeah they're here they're still here and so they are looking down and they right now are proud you the door open open and grab it just go forward don't go backwards no no no I'm not going backwards I refuse to go backwards good one thing I remember my father was is leadership and that's what I'm going to continue doing thank you so much take care of yourself I know what I need to do and there's more to come of Mama Maria's in the future for the last 55 years this restaurant has belonged to John's parents and even after they sadly passed away he remained a pizza maker but tonight he was an owner this restaurant now belongs to John and John only and I'm truly and I mean truly rooting for this Brooklyn Underdog how much water can be put in one plant pot God bless pizzas after Chef Ramsey left welcome to Mama Maria John has kept his promise of running his business away from the pizza counter I need a bowl of grated cheese please a bowl of grated cheese Mama Maria has already generated a ton of positive buzz from bloggers and websites really good thank you I help Ramsey we've come a long way and this 55-year-old restaurant is on its way back to being a fixture in Brooklyn once again\n"