by Michele Armano
As stated on their website, when it came to choosing the name for the restaurant at Hotel Margherita, on a late April day, on the terrace at sunset, with the breeze and the changing colours of the sky, Andrea Ferraioli and Suela Cimino, the creators of the project and partners in both work and life, found themselves thinking: "Love is madness, love is a dream, love is hope. Love is declaring oneself, waiting for an answer, and praying to be able to say...m’ama!!!" (m'ama means: the person I love loves me). And so the inspiration came: a restaurant by the sea on the Amalfi Coast that would become a "natural stage for a declaration of love, an engagement, a wedding, or an important anniversary."
The Praiano restaurant with a terrace
In the Middle Ages, Praiano was one of the villages of the Ancient Maritime Republic, divided into two territorial entities: the upper part, with an agricultural vocation, and Vettica, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, a fishing village. Just saying: Amalfi Coast. Here, the family-run Hotel Margherita is a reference point not only for hospitality but also for true and genuine dining. The landscapes here are so beautiful that restaurants could easily rely on them. However, at Margherita, the organization, synchronicity, and coherence between various aspects of the structure, especially hospitality and dining, are treated with the seriousness and commitment that substantial activity requires.
Small local producers and Slow Food Presidia
M'Ama! is a place of memories but also of discoveries: memories for the revival of traditional dishes, local and heritage cuisine; discoveries in modern reinterpretations and original creations without banality. The enhancement of local productions is fundamental—it adheres to the Slow Food Chefs' Alliance in Praiano—and it’s the kind of place where, when you eat and close your eyes, you know where you are and what’s on your plate. M’Ama is located on the terrace, where at lunch there’s the comfort of a cool sea breeze and in the evening the dinner becomes incredibly romantic.
What to eat and drink at M'Ama! in Praiano
Raffaele Mascolo, the chef along with his resilient brigade from Agerola, doesn’t accept compromises, so he sources ingredients from small fishermen, farmers, shepherds, and cheesemakers for a substantial cuisine where vegetarians (with a dedicated menu) and coeliacs are warmly welcomed. Then there’s the fish, shellfish, and crustaceans, both raw and cooked, the meat from a rare Agerolese beef but also duck and lamb. The organic garden products are homegrown or from known farmers: seared scallops with Controne bean cream, celery with semi-dry tomatoes, and Corbarino marmalade; homemade “Margherita” gnocchi with clams, rocket pesto, dried tomatoes, and Sorrento walnuts; sea bass cooked at low temperature with pea cream, squid ink bread and dried tomato, parsley oil. The desserts include refreshing house-made ice creams and sorbets, alongside items like "our deconstructed lemon delight" (yellow sponge, lemon cream, lemon ice cream, and lemon candy). The wine list highlights all the wineries of the Coast, including lesser-known ones, as well as national and international wine productions. And when you pluck the petals of the daisy, the company logo, in the ‘m’ama or non m’ama’, you already know what the last petal will say…
M'Ama! dell'Hotel Margherita - Praiano (SA) - via Umberto I, 70 - 089 874628 - hotelmargherita.info
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