The sweet aroma of Sunday sauce drifting through his family’s home made a young Mario LaPosta certain he’d wind up owning a restaurant one day. Years after first dreaming of opening his own place, the pizza expert and well-traveled chef is joining the Portsmouth culinary scene with oven-fired pizza and Italian cuisine born from family recipes. Mamma Luca is the newest restaurant arriving downtown, a 100-seat Italian establishment scheduled to open in mid-February at 111 State St. 

LaPosta remembers old Portsmouth from his childhood, as his family would stop in the coastal community for meals during travels north to visit relatives in the Portland, Maine, area. After moving to New Hampshire with his wife and children last year, LaPosta, owner and operator of the eponymous Da LaPosta pizzeria and eatery in Newtonville, Massachusetts, began his bid to open a second restaurant in Portsmouth. He eventually secured a lease with developer and commercial real estate owner Mark McNabb.