Some restaurant owners manage from afar. They hire managers to oversee operations, chefs to run the kitchen and hire a maitre d’ to interact with their customers. Sean and Maris Powell couldn’t be more different.
Sean and Marisa are the owners of both Pietro’s Prime and Nonna’s, and despite having two restaurants, it’s rare if you have dinner at either restaurant and don’t see Marisa. Sean will be busy slaving away in the kitchen of Pietro’s serving up your steaks.
We convinced Sean and Marisa to tear themselves away from the job for just long enough to ask them a few questions.
Sean and Marisa Powell take a very hands-on approach to running
their restaurants. “I think a lot of people come to see us, and it’s great
that we’re actually in the restaurant,” says Marisa. Adam Jones
There are a lot of Giuntas in West Chester. Are you all related? Marisa: Yes.
How many of you are there? Marisa: Oh god. There were five Giunta children in my dad’s family, and they all have kids. My first cousins, I think there’s like 28 of us. And then they all have kids, and then, my grandfather was one of eight, and then their kids all live there, so there’s so many generations, and a lot of people didn’t leave.
You’re from a long line of successful Giunta men. What’s it like carrying on the family tradition as a woman? Marisa: I don’t really think it matters that I’m a woman. I’ve got broad shoulders thanks to my brothers and my dad.
You’re pretty grounded in the community here. Does that impact the restaurant? Marisa: I think so. I think a lot of people come to see us and it’s great that we’re actually in the restaurant. Though, it’s hard to be at both restaurants, which is a challenge for me.
Your father owned Giunta’s Market, did you grow up working there? Marisa: I worked at Giunta’s when I was younger, and after I went to college I worked for Bike Line and Ice Line, kinda ran the business-world side of it, and then I went back to Giunta’s and took over the financial part.
Do you think your experience at Giunta’s gave you an appreciation for food? Marisa: Absolutely. We always had whatever we wanted for dinner, which was cool, because we didn’t have to have just the basics. And my grandmother, my nana, lived in our house, so she always cooked, every night. My mom and dad both worked, so she always made Italian dinners, everything was always is good.
Nonna’s and Pietro’s are both named after Marisa’s grandparents. Is the next restaurant going to be named after your grandparents, Sean? Sean: Nah, my grandparents weren’t so much into the cooking, my grandmother was, but I learned more from my brother and sister, because my parents were divorced. My older brother and sister really looked out for me. My brother passed away a few years ago, but him and my sister, being together, I was always interested in what was going on in the kitchen. My brother was ten years older, my sister 14 years older. Whenever we got together as a family, which wasn’t often, we always congregated in the kitchen. It’s something I always liked to do.
At what age did you start cooking? Sean: At home? Whenever I could. When I was old enough to reach the stove. I did it all through high school and college, and even after college.
Did the two of you bond over food? Marisa: After a couple months of dating, our hours weren’t matching. I worked at the restaurant and the store. So he would work at night, and I would work during the day. We had just expanded thee store and added a café, so we needed someone to come in, and I said “Well I’m dating this guy, I don’t know.” So Sean interviewed and he got the job. We’ve worked together since then.
What was your first impression of Marisa? Sean: She was fun. We had mutual friends. She thought she already knew me and didn’t like me, but she thought I was someone else.
Where did you and Sean meet? Marisa: We met at Jitters. A friend of his and a friend of mine were sort of trying to get us together, and apparently they were trying to get us together for a year, and I thought I knew who he was but apparently there’s more than one Sean Powell in the world, and it wasn’t the same guy, so…
Pleasantly surprised? Marisa: Yeah, he walked in and I said “I’m gonna marry that guy,” and we’ve never been apart since.
Did you learn anything working at Giunta’s that you applied to the job here? Marisa: Basically how to deal with people. I mean most people that are shopping aren’t really happy. When they’re coming to dinner they’re in a better mood. It’s easier at dinner, because you don’t have to worry about the line. To make them happy is easier.
So what prompted you to open Pietro’s? Marisa: My husband and I enjoy going out to dinner, so whenever we would cook at home we’d invite a ton of people over, we’re always going to King of Prussia or Philly to go to a good steakhouse, and Sean was like, “We gotta do it, we gotta open a steakhouse,” and I was like, “I don’t know, I don’t know how we’re going to do it.” And then this place became available, and you know, my parents helped us out, and the landlord, our landlord here, Stan Zukin, helped us out with that. He’s very generous and he believed in us, and I’ve known him since I was little. He was very good friends with a neighbor of ours so I grew up knowing him. I call him Uncle Stan when I need something.
What kind of help did you need to get this place started? Sean: A lot of mental help. Marisa: No we didn’t. We had my cousins. Sean: We had all her family, and all of my family that was around, and they all just pitched right in. They said, “What can we do to help?” and we put them to work. We had a party here for all our families before we opened.
What went into renovating? Marisa: None of the interior was done. The old bar was in what is now a dining room, and what is now the bar was a deli area. Sean: It only took us three months and then we opened. It was insane. Had to redo the floor, paint the whole building.
Is there a large fine dining market in West Chester? Marisa: I don’t consider us fine dining. I consider us more of a relaxed atmosphere. I mean, it’s not the white tablecloth thing. We went with tan and black because I feel like when you go to Morton’s, there’s an aura about it, and everything’s so stiff, and I’m not that way. You can come in T-shirts and shorts and spend $500 dollars, so I don’t judge people. If you’re looking for that whole stuffy thing, you probably want to go somewhere else.
Nonna’s moved into a space once occupied by an Italian restaurant and opened an Italian restaurant. Why? Marisa: Well, I’m Italian, and we love Italian food. I think it’s a good spot. It did so well for so many years, and my landlord came to me and said “I don’t want another college bar in there, I want a restaurant, and I want you guys to do it,” and he helped us out tremendously with that. There was no way I could have done either restaurant without him.
Who designs the menus? Marisa: Sean mainly did the menu here. The steakhouse is more a traditional style, he tries to keep it fresh with specials, but the main menu doesn’t change that much. Now at Nonna’s, the menu over there was a bunch of different styles: you got traditional, you got Southern Italy, my mom makes the desserts. Actually, she makes the desserts here [Pietro’s], too.
Where were you cooking before here? Sean: A lot of local country clubs. My first job out of culinary school was at the Lenape Inn, which is now closed. After that I was at Radley Run and White Manor, which are country clubs. Worked for my best friend at his restaurant, then I went to work for Marisa’s family in the café doing all the prepared food. I thought it would be a short-lived thing, like, “Ah, who’s gonna be buying all this food to go?” Five years later I was up to my ears.
Where’d you go to school? Sean: I went to West Chester University for business and finance. Didn’t really dig that too much, so then I went to the Philadelphia Restaurant School. I don’t think it’s called that anymore. Maybe the College of Walnut Hill?
Do you go back and forth between restaurants on different nights? Marisa: I’m trying to When I first opened Nonna’s we had a general manager who kind of helped us get that up and going. He’s since moved to Florida, so I took over and accepted the responsibility.
There are a lot of restaurateurs who claim running one restaurant is exhausting. What’s it like running two? Marisa: It’s exhausting, but it’s fun. I always say I do the thing that I have to do, and then I go from there. So the stuff that I don’t have to do is in a pile in my office. I’ve changed the way that I communicate, but that’s a good thing. Like if I don’t have to do something, I can move things around.
You guys are pretty hands on with running this place, are you on the line seven days a week? Sean: I’m on the line at least six days a week, lunch and dinner.
Do you have sous chef? Sean: There’s a lot of guys that have been there. Jesse Lang is like my number two, he started as a dishwasher, now he’s on the line. He’s the only one that really works the grill on Saturday night if I don’t. He’s a good kid. 21 years old. Started here when he was about 18.
That’s a quick transformation. Sean: He was pretty into it, he was always asking for more hours. He’d say, “I need to see more. What are you doing? Teach me more.” He’s a great kid, speaks a little broken English.
Are you opening any more restaurants in the future? Marisa: I wouldn’t say no, but I’m not looking to do it right now. We like to be here, so I don’t know how we could have three, because then no one would be at one of them.
