By Sean DelaneyIt all began with the same person’s advice we should all listen too.
Mama.
“She said I should get into the business,” said Mama Mia Place owner, Alfonso Donaso. “I was doing something totally different and she said restaurants.”
It’s a business of passion, and Donaso is a man with a hard work ethic and a passion for food, so if he was going to do it, he was going to do it in a way that would make his Mama, Rosa, proud.
“All the recipes are unique,” he said. “People come here because our menu is unique. It’s homemade food, and when you come here, you know it’s food and flavours you won’t get anywhere else. That’s what brings people back.”
The menu stretches from Mexico to Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and more. They try to take the best of each country and create a number of different experiences for their diner.
“It’s not like a burrito place,” Donaso laughs.
Mama Mia was established to honour his mother, and to make her proud he’s kept it a family business.
“It’s a lot of passion and emotions,” he said. “My kids grew up here. At the back of the store, we have a little room and my wife was serving customer and at the same time feeding the baby and changing the baby. This is like our home, we take pride in what we do.”
Welcoming customers from Barrie, Scarborough, Owen Sound and locations beyond; Donaso is also proud of his neighbourhood.
He chose Emery Village for its friendly feel and comfortable atmosphere, as well as its variety.
“I choose Emery Village because it is a family oriented village,, I don’t feel myself locating somewhere else. This is the right location.”
It’s grown the right way he said, with areas gaining a more European feel and quality people.
“It’s a good mix, even people looking to buy a house, I highly recommend Emery Village, because the mix is good,” he said. His business reflects that community and has him and his customers satisfied.