Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Mamma Lasagna is a new small food business run by husband and wife Dario and Viviana Regina, who hail from Turin and Rome respectively.

Mamma Lasagna produces fresh egg pasta, fettucine, and maccheroni every morning and roll the lasagna doughs and make the pasta sauce from scratch for every meal.

The restaurant offers seven different lasagnas, from the Vegetarian Palermo with lentils ragu and aubergines to the Lux Bolognese with slow-cooked ragu in a Chianti wine sauce.

Husband and wife Dario (left) and Viviana Regina are set to set to tantalise tastebuds with their grandparents’ homemade Italian recipes at Mamma Lasagna. Pictures courtesy of Mamma Lasagna

The opportunity arose to open Mamma Lasagna when the pair were made redundant.

Dario said: “We thought it was time for Mamma Lasagna, our dream for years, to open a family business using fresh Italian ingredients promoting genuine and healthy meals.

“We have been looking for an authentic Italian takeaway in the area that could offer fresh pasta like we used to have every Sunday lunch when we were children.

“Around the Crawley area, there isn’t an Italian restaurant that offers a variety of homemade lasagna and pasta, so we thought that was the right moment to give our project a chance.”

Dario and Viviana's daughter Tiara lends a hand in the kitchen

The recipes are based on those used by their grandparents Romolo Belli and Gabriella Penella.

Gabriella would produce and deliver over 200 meals every day and Romolo soon left his job to found Ma.Ma Lasagna with his wife.

Ma.Ma Lasagna soon became Mamma Lasagna and, before their retirement, Romolo and Gabriella had over 30 different types of pasta, cooked from scratch every day, on their menu.

Gabriella’s handwritten cookbook came into the possession of Dario and Viviana and the pair couldn’t be more proud to continue their grandmother’s legacy.

Mamma Lasagna's menu can be found online at mammalasagna.co.uk

Viviana added: “In Italy, the family, la Famiglia, is very important and it has been overwhelming seeing our grandparents’ pictures on our website.

“They taught us to be authentic, the importance of traditions and the values of being honest.

“I’ve been next to my grandma with a small stool since I was a baby watching her cooking and she left us a little treasure with her recipe book.

“Now we are very excited and proud to be able to offer our food to all the Crawley community.”

Mamma Lasagna is open for takeaways as well as private events, private dinners and catering, and cooking workshops.

To find out more please visit mammalasagna.co.uk

New Italian restaurant in Maidenbower continues grandparents’ proud food legacy