There’s a reason this 30-year-old Italian restaurant is still known as one of Charlotte’s best

Editor’s note: This story originally published in 2019. As a celebration of the restaurant turning 30 in the summer of 2022, we have decided to update and re-release this Classic (Eats!). Want to celebrate? The restaurant will be serving free birthday cake on Aug. 3.

Executive chef Tom Dyrness, fittingly, puts the growth of Mama Ricotta’s into increments of lasagna pans.

He recalls, in 2009, “We used to do 8-12 pans a week.”

Now, a typical week sees 24-28 pans come through the pass and into the dining room or boxed up for takeout.

[BIG LITTLE NEWS: Little Mama’s to expand, bringing 1970s-style Italian dining to South Charlotte]

Over its 30 years, Mama Ricotta’s Italian Restaurant at 601 S. Kings Drive has provided opportunities, borrowing favorite words from Dyrness, “On a lot of levels.”

For Dyrness, the FS Food Group-owned restaurant was there for him in 2013, when he returned to Mama Ricotta’s kitchen for a second tenure after a two-year stint at Mimosa Grill and was looking to take the next step forward in his career. Dyrness also worked for owner Frank Scibelli from 2009 to 2011 and was familiar with his high standards.

“Logic rolls into everything Frank does,” Dyrness said.

Italian cooking in New Jersey

For Scibelli, his first restaurant has provided the opportunity to launch a local empire.

When he first opened Mama Ricotta’s on Kings Drive in 1992, Charlotte’s food scene was grim. National chains and out-of-town franchises dominated the landscape. Pockets of good food existed but were rare and siloed throughout the city.

“It was really very raw. There wasn’t high-quality, mid-scale Italian by any stretch of the imagination. It was either lower-end, diner-style Italian food, or it was fine dining. There was nothing in the middle,” Scibelli recalled.

The early struggles included sourcing fresh mozzarella, good Sicilian olive oil and ricotta cheese.

“The reason we make mozzarella everyday is because I couldn’t find it when we opened. We had to learn how to make it. The vendors didn’t even know what fresh mozzarella was.”

In turn, Charlotte diners responded. The restaurant’s customer base steadily grew until 2001, when it moved to its current spot down the street — more than tripling its seating capacity.

Dyrness affectionately recounts the hard work that went into his early days with the company.

“Mama’s is crazy on so many levels. At one point, we were doing breakfast, catering, lunch and dinner service. You’re here at 4 in the morning doing breakfast, and you’re tied in until 6, 7, 8 o’ clock. And you’re like, ‘Holy smokes. When am I going to get out of here?’ But you’re not thinking about it because you’re so busy.”

Staying organized

Dyrness is collected. Ask him about success in a kitchen and he’ll talk about efficiency and staying organized. “At this point in my career, I try to stay out of the weeds.”

“In the weeds” is a restaurant industry term used to describe someone in over their head. Every young cook experiences it. During a discussion on the importance of proactivity, Dyrness gave an answer that could just as easily apply to Scibelli’s plan for his various restaurants:

“When you got stuff coming at you from six different ways, and you have a plan, you’re able to fit that stuff in your plan. You already know where it’s supposed to be an hour from now.”

And you can set your clock to the growth rate experienced by Scibelli’s FS Food Group.

After opening Mama Ricotta’s in 1992, Scibelli started Cantina 1511 about 12 years later around the corner on East Boulevard. Scibelli later sold the restaurant to outside investors looking to expand the concept. A few years later, Scibelli repeated this practice with Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar — freeing up his time to open Yafo Kitchen’s first location in 2016.

Scibelli opened Little Mama’s in 2020 as a sister restaurant to Mama Ricotta’s. Calle Sol opened in Summer 2021 in Charlotte’s Commonwealth neighborhood, and its first expansion will be in SouthPark in 2023. FS Food Group is also behind Paco’s Tacos, Midwood Smokehouse and Perfect Plate Catering.

Classic favorites

Gems are found among the people at Mama Ricotta’s, and in between is great food.

Classic sandwiches such as chicken parm and an Italian grinder make up the lunch menu alongside pasta and salad options. And at dinnertime is when this Italian eatery really shows its true tricolores. Most entrees can be ordered as individual portions or as family-size platters, feeding two to three very hungry people.

Appetizers from the crispy calamari — served “regular” or “Rhode Island-style” tossed with pickled peppers — to a cheese dip made from housemade mozzarella and creamy mascarpone cheese, served with crusty, grilled ciabatta are favorites among regulars.

Scibelli doesn’t have a favorite restaurant of his own. He likens his love to the love of his children — unable to put one over another.

When asked where he thought his little 47-seat Italian eatery would take him, Scibelli was honest.

“I didn’t know where it would take me. My focus was on doing a good job and developing my craft, developing the restaurant, the people. And sort of one thing led to another, really,” Scibelli answered.

“It’s a big part of my history.”

And now it’s a big part of ours.

Mama Ricotta’s

Location: 601 S Kings Dr AA, Charlotte, NC 28204

Neighborhood: Midtown

Menu

Cuisine: Italian

Instagram: @mamaricottas

This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 5:50 AM.