In "Nonnas" (On Netflix), ICE Alum Jason Forella's Food Styling Steals the Show
If you're a food person and you own a TV or computer, you've likely heard about "Nonnas," a Netflix feel-good film that centers on food and family and premieres this Friday (May 9) — just in time for Mother's Day. But what you might not know is that ICE alum Jason Forella was hired as the film's food stylist — and there was a lot of food to style.
We had questions for Forella — specifically:
- How'd you get the food stylist gig?
- Is the movie as good as film critics are reporting?
- And most importantly, do you have any hot tea on the film's stars?
Forella kindly answered all our questions, and even shared a few behind-the-scenes photos showing his food styling, the actors at work, and the excitement around the film's upcoming premiere weekend.
So... How Do You Become a Food Stylist Anyway?
Like most paths worth taking, Forella’s foray into food styling was not a straight line.
After college, he spent 10 years working in restaurants, followed by six years performing, stage managing and building theatrical sets. It was during a break from a theater tour that he decided to enroll at ICE. Three weeks after classes began, the pandemic hit.
He was disappointed, of course, but he used his time well, caring for his ailing parents and preparing for when the world reopened by practicing the knife skills and cooking techniques he’d learned in his plant-based culinary arts program’s first module.
“When classes resumed, my cohort hit the ground running,” he says. “We became such a tight group and remain close friends to this day.”
After completing his externship, Forella apprenticed with an artisan pasta maker, developing recipes using gluten-free and vegan fresh noodles. (One of the recipes is now part of ICE’s Plant-Based Culinary Arts curriculum.) He then took a position as house chef for a sorority at Northwestern University, cooking three meals a day for 20 college students.
“It taught me a lot about menu planning and preparation,” he says.
From there, Forella returned to ICE, this time as a Career Services Advisor at the NYC campus, further developing his chef’s savvy by assisting in classes and working weekends in the Hamptons as a private chef.
“I took my skills as a plant-based and health-supportive chef to those who had special dietary needs,” he says. “It was rewarding and kept me sharp.”
Presently, he’s the Program Manager for Wellness in the Schools, a non-profit that provides food and nutrition education to NYC kids. “It’s an amazing fit,” he says, “that speaks to my passion for helping, teaching and cooking.”
As to how he landed the Nonnas' food styling gig, it’s a journey that started — literally — at ICE.
When Netflix Knocks, You Answer
It was while working at ICE that Netflix came calling.
According to Forella, his mentor received an inquiry from a Netflix studio producer seeking a food stylist for a film centered on Italian recipes. Thanks to a combination of his ICE education, Italian heritage and prior career in theater, Forella came to his mentor's mind.
Forella called the producers. They scheduled a meeting and sent him a script. Within 24 hours, he’d annotated the script with ideas and a preliminary menu for the shoot.
“We started to go through the script,” he says, “and they saw that I had done my homework … and I was hired on the spot.”
What Is "Nonnas" on Netflix ĢƵ?
"Nonnas" is based on the true story of Enoteca Maria and its owner Joe Scaravella, a Staten Island man who realizes, when his mother dies, that she’s spoiled him with her cooking.
Grief stricken and lacking direction — Joe is single and works a dead-end job — he risks everything to open an Italian restaurant in his mother’s honor, and he enlists a gaggle of nonnas (Italian grandmothers) to support the endeavor by sharing their own home cooking. In so doing, the nonnas nourish Joe with both food and love, and ultimately, become surrogate moms.
It’s a film about relationships and the stories we tell — and later remember — when we gather around the table. It’s also an insightful rumination on aging and the bonds of female friendship, with plenty of New York iconography (and Easter eggs) and a mint cast. (Hello, Rocky’s Talia triumphantly declaring “We are not quitters!”)
“This film hit home on a lot of notes for me,” says Forella, himself a native New Yorker who’s been cooking family-style Italian food “since I could hold a wooden spoon.”
“One of my earliest memories is standing on a step-stool at the stove with my mom in our house in Queens,” he says, “stirring the sauce while my grandmother sat at the table smoking a cigarette and petting her cat.”
In the film, the nonnas are played by Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro, Susan Sarandon and Talia Shire. They brawl and complain and hurl digs at one another, but when it counts, they come together to care for Joe, their community, and each other. It’s sentimental and intentionally schmaltz, but its tagline — “The best memories are served family style” — rings true.
The Day ICE Went To Netflix
Forella was allowed a sous chef for the main run of shooting, so he hired from his network of ICE alumni. Jackie Bonavita, who was in Fiorella’s cohort at ICE, was his first choice.
“It was such a benefit to work with somebody I trust and know,” he says, noting that later in filming, when there were two heavy shoot days, he hired two additional ICE grads.
“We were like a good back court on a basketball team,” he jokes, adding that “the key to success is a strong team.”
As for the skills and lessons he learned at ICE, Forella says they were critical while filming — chief among them professionalism; how to confidently move with speed and precision; and the importance of preparation.
Regarding the latter, he explains: “We had 28 days of principal photography all on location. If I wasn't fast and organized, everything would have crashed — and we would not be having this conversation,” he laughs.
His main takeaway, however, from his time at ICE, was to keep an open mind and say “yes”... often.
“ICE showed me how [culinary careers] can branch out into other paths. You just have to be able to walk the walk and talk the talk.”
Hot Tea From the Nonnas' Set
So what was the experience like? Did anyone throw their cannoli at another cast member or flip a table a la Teresa Giudice?
According to Forella, the answers are: to the latter, “no”; to the former, “lovely.”
“The whole cast was incredible to work with,” he says. “They were all so gracious and really took instruction well.”
Here’s a near verbatim report card:
- Vince Vaughn wanted to get everything just right. “There is one scene where Vince makes pasta and sauce after a very emotional sequence,” says Forella. “He was super focused.”
- “Talia Shire told stories about her mother using a wine bottle as a rolling pin, and we incorporated that into the film.”
- Brenda Vaccaro was a spitfire who kept the cast and crew laughing the entire time. “She was so genuine and caring,” says Forella.
- Susan Sarandon snuck tastes of whipped cream while filming. “She was as sweet as the cannoli cream I had her piping and mixing.”
- Joe Manganello and Drea de Matteo had to eat so much tiramisu during one scene that Forella says they may never order it again — “unless I’m making it for them,” he jokes.
- Linda Cardelini was supposed to eat pasta fagioli while reviewing paperwork in one scene, but told Forella she would mime eating mostly. (There were many takes and she didn’t want to be stuffed.) “I refilled her bowl 3 times,” Forella laughs. “She didn't mime anything.”
One of Forella’s best-loved stories, however, is a Lorraine Bracco story from the second day of shooting. In his own words:
“I was cooking in this small kitchen in a house right next to the primary set for the restaurant — everything was on location. The green room where the actors sat when they weren't on set was in the front of the house. I was at the stove when I heard a voice call from the front of the house ‘Alright! That's enough of this!’ I thought I was in trouble or something was wrong. A moment later, Lorraine came into the kitchen with serious intent. She looked at me and said ‘It smells way too good in here for me not to be eating anything! What do ya got for me Chef?’ I laughed and plated her up a dish of Caponata with some fresh baked focaccia. From that moment on, whenever she wasn't on set, she was in the kitchen snacking and telling stories. Talia joined us shortly after that and added to the fun.”
Writing this story about a film centered on food and people and love and healing — and the ICE alum food stylist and joyful cast who made it — made me happy. Journalism 101 dictates you're supposed to write a “kicker” here — a great ending sentence that leaves you with a certain… feeling.
But I think Chef Forella wrote the kicker for me when he summarized the vibe on the Nonnas' set. And so, I yield the last line to his beautiful description of this film, and what, I hope, we all experience at least once in our lifetimes: “It was like my house on any holiday. People cooking, eating and laughing. It was home and we were family.”
Nonnas premieres on Netflix Friday, May 9.
