Mama Catena reopens after 2017 blaze

Tireless efforts by family has restaurant back in under 12 months

Fire, rebirth, future. If you think the phrase, “From the ashes, rises the phoenix” is trite, you won’t convince any member of the Catena clan, nor their friends or countless supporters who gathered, along with Euclid officials and city services personnel, during the reopening of the family’s restaurant, Mama Catena Vino è Cucina.

After a fire destroyed the interior of the eatery last May, the family briefly entertained notions of calling it quits, before regrouping and deciding there would one day be a new day.

And that new day, May 30, drew hundreds who felt attending the reopening of the new incarnation of Mama Catena’s was nothing less than a civic, if not, familial duty.

The restaurant, at 711 Babbitt Road, originally opened in May 1989 and has been owned and operated by the family, including founding couple,

Giuseppina and Francesco, affectionately known as “Mama” and “Papa.”

The couple’s daughters, Fran and Rina, and their nephew, Frank, along with others, doggedly worked to defy odds after being repeatedly told they’d never reopen in under a year.

(They actually beat the one-year anniversary date of the fire, hosting a couple soft openings earlier in the year.)

“This has been a journey, let me tell you,” said Fran, tearing up while addressing the crowd and hugging nearly everyone in the building. “Now, we’ve come full circle, you could say. Everything has paid off.”

Rina was equally moved by the community’s love and support.

“We worked so hard, and there were times we didn’t know if we could pull it off, but with the help of so many people and organizations, we did it,” she said. “We had to. Too many people needed us to do this. We thank everyone involved — they know who they are — for their overwhelming outpouring of faith in what has proven to be the most difficult time in our lives.”

Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail expressed

gratitude, too, on behalf of the city, calling the reopening a wonderful occasion.

“I know we have all been anxiously awaiting the grand reopening of Mama Catena’s, and so I want to thank you for your investment in the city of Euclid, your kindness, your compassion and, of course, your wonderful food,” she said.

“I think when people first walked back in, they were so happy to see everything. It looks beautiful, and we’re very excited about that, but that first taste of your sauce was what really made me happy, and I want to thank the entire Catena family for

being a part of our community. We truly appreciate your longstanding dedication to family, business and community. Continued happiness and prosperity.”

Giuseppina and Francesco then formally welcomed the community back.

“When I came from Italy, my dream was to have a nice place for my kids and grandkids and it worked,” Francesco said. “And finally we had this (restaurant), me and my wife. Now, thank God we did the work better than we did before. With this new kitchen, we have a future. Thank you very much.”

CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Giuseppina “Mama” Catena, center, welcomes customers, family and friends at Mama Catena Vino è Cucina during the restaurant’s official grand reopening last month. The Euclid staple, at 711 Babbitt Road, is born anew after a May 2017 fire destroyed the...

CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail, left, and Euclid City Council President Charlene Mancuso, present a proclamation to Mama Catena’s during the eatery’s grand reopening event last month.

CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Mama Catena Vino è Cucina’s highly anticipated reopening last month was the culmination of about 10 months of rebuilding, “sweat and tears,” according to the Catena family, who worked diligently to resurrect their restaurant after a May 2017 fire.