By Teresa Politano

Let the big-name American celebrity chefs - the Mario Batalis, the Michael Whites, the Gabrielle Hamiltons - seek the authentic, ancient and rustic foods of Italy by traveling to remote villages to extract secrets from grandmothers. Chef Francesco Panucci was born in one of those villages, grew up with those secrets, and fondly remembers his mother buying fresh, warm ricotta cheese from the local shepherd.

Ristorante Giorgia carved a niche for itself in 2011 in the corner of a former airplane hangar, a parking spot for postwar barnstormers. Or maybe it wasn't an airplane hangar; that theory, given its location, seems unlikely, says Panucci. Nevertheless, the remodeler's vision that turned this humble industrial space into a warm, rustic restaurant is inspiring. Those visionaries were Panucci's mother and sister, and it's a magazine shoot of a transformation.

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Source: http://www.nj.com