Why does Filomena Ristorante do such extensive decorating for every holiday? We hear that question all the time, so we’ll try to explain to some degree!
When Jo Anna Filomena was a small child, life was lived so very differently (no TV or electronics or appliances). She was part of a large, hard-working Italian family. Her father, Antimo, was the sole provider and her mother, Filomena, was a housewife who not only cared for the children but managed to keep a very happy home.
Back in those days most people spent almost all of their free time at home. Everyone worked very hard physically each day and was quite tired by nightfall. Families looked forward to going home and staying home, and people rarely ever went out to eat. Eating at home with family and relatives or friends was a time of enjoyment for everyone, where we conversed and learned about one another’s lives and aspirations. Holidays, in particular, were greatly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed.
To Filomena, all holidays were big celebrations and she wanted the house to reflect each holiday. She wanted everyone to know and see and feel the spirit of each holiday, as she did. It wasn’t enough to know it was a holiday – she wanted us to feel the holiday all around us.
JoAnna remembers when the house was all decorated and she couldn’t wait to get home from school. She loved the happy feelings it uncovered, the special foods and desserts served for each holiday, and the friends and relatives who visited each other’s homes to see each other’s decorations. Of course, JoAnna and her brothers always thought their decorations were best!
Filomena was a master of making something out of almost nothing and every year she tried to do things a little different. Of course, our home was not even close to the scale of Filomena Ristorante, if you can imagine. What Filomena did for a few, we try to do for many and often overdo at that!
At Filomena Ristorante, we try to create a similar feeling to that of JoAnna’s festive home growing up! We love whimsy and flight of fancy– something to make you look twice or just smile. Whether you like or dislike a holiday – you will notice and hopefully if for only a moment or two forget any stressful thoughts in your day and just focus on our fun, silly, and often over-the-top decorations!
For Jo Anna Filomena, her mother’s decorations gave her the warm and wonderful memories that still are alive for her so many years later. Her hope is that for all the effort, work, time and patience that it takes to create these decorations, that they will do for each of her guests what her mother’s house did for her!
We try our best to make and display things you won’t see anywhere else. This is very time consuming but we think it’s worth it! We are truly unique, in that we know of no other restaurant in the U.S. or abroad that does holiday decorating quite like Filomena!
Our most extensive holiday decorations are Christmas, Easter and Halloween. We also decorate to the highest-degree possible on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and 4th of July. We hope you will stop by and enjoy our decorations throughout the year!
