Back in 1953, Maria Leonardi opened
a small shop called Maria's Ravioli, producing and
selling a variety of pasta products and sauces, all
made from fresh ingredients on the premises. Her
cooking recipes and traditions have since been passed
down through 3 generations of her family and still
delight an ever increasing group of customers from
a recently expanded shop in Wayne, New Jersey adjacent
to Willowbrook Mall.
Most customers recall Maria as the gentle, white
haired, and aproned woman who was eager to spend
her time sharing cooking tips as well as pleasant
conversation during her 35 years working at her shop.
Born in New York City, Maria was raised by her grandmother
in a small mountain village near Genoa, Italy where
she learned the Genovese style of cooking that endures
in many of her shop's recipes. After returning to
the USA, Maria worked in the kitchens of some of
New York's most elegant restaurants.
Maria opened the doors of her ravioli shop in Clifton,
New Jersey in 1953 with the help of her family. She
worked there nearly every day until her passing in
1988 at the age of 83. It was the true joy of her
life to "wait on customers", as she would
describe it. She loved her customers and, to this
day, many of the shop's patrons share personal memories
of Maria with Maria's grandson and his wife, the
store's current operators. Having outgrown Maria's
original space in Clifton, Jennifer and Joe Leonardi
moved and expanded the shop in late 2000 to Wayne,
New Jersey near Willowbrook Mall.
Through a large viewing window in the shop's retail
area, fascinated customers eagerly watch the pasta
machines as they combine flour and fresh eggs, ricotta,
meats and grated cheeses to create pasta, ravioli,
sauces and take home prepared meals. Children and
adults alike delight in watching Maria's many fresh
pasta sizes cut to each customer's order behind the
retail counter.
Maria's many sauces range from thick
and hearty meat or mushroom sauces to a lighter, chunky
tomato marinara sauce to a creamy pink vodka sauce
to her specialty Genovese style pesto sauce. Her signature
soup is pasta fagioli.
Maria's ravioli and filled pasta are her most popular
products. Maria's creates them in ten different sizes
and a wide array of fillings. Maria's handmade jumbo
ravioli have king sized pockets of savory filling.
A children's favorite is the raviolini, which are
bite-sized mini-ravioli. They are also available
in many different fillings, as are the agnolotti,
tortellini and cappelletti—which also make
an excellent addition to soup.
During the holiday season, the aroma
of baked take home meals such as manicotti, stuffed
shells, lasagna, baked ziti and meatballs fill Maria's
customers' homes.
Maria's homemade pasta, ravioli, sauces and take home
meals are still homemade with fresh, wholesome ingredients,
just as they were when Maria first opened her doors
half a century ago. Her recipes and cooking as well
as her pleasant smile and love of people will surely
endure for generations to come.
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