When Nino’s Family Restaurant opened Tuesday at 16 S. Main Street in Cape May Court House, the family was coming home after a long absence.
Nino’s occupied the same spot from 1994 to 2004, when the operation moved to 201 W. Walnut St. in North Wildwood, into what used to be the Triangle Restaurant.
But times changed, people changed and the economy changed – and the family has found that Cape May Court House fits the bill once again.
Frances Malusa, whose husband Antonio operated restaurants in Vineland, Cherry Hill and Glassboro, said the family preferred to operate year-round, but there just aren’t enough people around to support the North Wildwood eatery in the winter – even though the wait on a given summer night can be upwards of an hour.
“We were looking offshore so we could have a year-round business,” Malusa said, when the owner of the Hamann property approached them about leasing their former space. His terms were agreeable and the time was right, she said, so they made the move.
The restaurant draws on the heritage of both Frances and Nino Malusa for its Northern and Southern Italian specialties.
The two met in America after their families moved from Italy – she from the Naples area and he from near Venice. They have been married for 51 years and have four children, Anthony, Dana, Joanne and Trisha.
Feeding the masses is a family affair at Nino’s. The kitchen is the domain of their son Anthony, who is head chef, while their daughter Dana (who is called Donna) and daughter-in-law Jennifer keep the front of the house running smoothly. Grandchildren Marina and Mark work part time while going to school.
Frances Malusa said most of the work she does now is “behind the scenes.”
“I pop in from time to time, do payroll, pay the bills,” she said.
Having a lot of family in the business will help when the North Wildwood location reopens in the spring and they are running two establishments, she said.
Frances and Antonio – who goes by Nino – “retired” and moved from Vineland to their summer home at the shore after running restaurants for more than 30 years. Tired of the long hours and headaches, their son Anthony went off in search of another career but didn’t stay away long.
“Anthony saw that he couldn’t support his family unless he had a job in cooking. And he thought if he was going to work in a restaurant, he might as well work for himself,” Malusa said.
They looked for a small place that the family could run with the help of just a few other employees, and settled on the Cape May Court House location, which seats about 100.
Sautéed food is the house specialty – dishes such as the saltimbocca, sorrento, marsala and cacciatore.
“We have the regular pasta dishes, the lasagna – but his specialties are all the sautéing,” Malusa said. “It’s the way we do it – the flavors and spices – that make it uniquely ours. And it’s not only good, it’s plentiful. We give big portions.”
Customers particularly like the sautéed seafood dishes, she noted.
Malusa said she is looking forward to seeing familiar faces in the restaurant and getting reacquainted with the local customers.
“I am so happy to be back in Cape May Court House. I hope to see all of our regular friends,” she said. “I’ve always loved it here. I love the area, all the locals – it’s like a family gathering.”
Open Tuesday through Sunday, Nino’s serves lunch from 11 a.m. and dinner starting at 3 p.m. Breakfast is available Sundays from 8 a.m.
For information call (609) 465-6300 or see www.ninosfamilyrestaurant.com.
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