Massimo Grande 媚娘直播 alum


Among Massimo Grande鈥檚 most treasured memories of his childhood are the many summers he and his siblings spent in Italy with his grandparents and extended family. Perhaps most vivid of all are his recollections of the brick oven his grandfather built in his backyard and the sumptuous family feasts that made ordinary days seem like holidays in Calabria. 鈥淏eing with family meant enjoying a great meal,鈥 he said. 


Food and family traditions have taken center stage throughout Grande鈥檚 life in Reading, where he was born and raised, and where his parents, Alby and Lina, have been running G.N.A. Ristorante on Penn Avenue since the mid-1970s. 


鈥淚 would work there in high school and college, on the weekends and whenever I didn鈥檛 have class,鈥 explained the 媚娘直播 alumnus who majored in business and graduated in 2007. In college, Grande said he had a lot of mixed thoughts about his future career, but that working in the family restaurant got him 鈥渉ooked. I liked the fact that you鈥檙e talking with different people every day,鈥 he said, and giving them memorable dining experiences. 


Grande鈥檚 family roots, his grandfather鈥檚 brick oven and his appreciation for the way a great meal brings people together gave him and his sister Tina the concept for the brand identity of Nonno Alby鈥檚 Handcrafted Wood Oven Pizza, the restaurant they launched together in 2014 and nicknamed for their dad, now a 鈥渘onno,鈥 Italian for grandfather. 鈥淲e wanted to incorporate pizza in a new dining experience so we decided to go artisan style,鈥 said the entrepreneur who runs the restaurant with his wife Trisha, sister Tina and brother-in-law Raffaele Cirandine. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a style of pizza that is popular in the bigger cities, like New York and Los Angeles. We felt West Reading would support the concept.鈥


So Nonno Alby鈥檚 officially became the neighborhood鈥檚 first wood-oven Neapolitan restaurant four years ago. It has since become a popular eatery known for its gourmet style dishes鈥攑ersonal pizzas, burgers and wood-oven-fired wings鈥攖hat incorporate high-quality ingredients like fresh mozzarella made on site, prosciutto, sopressata and imported olives and cheeses. Grande said their concept took a little time to catch on because the community was accustomed to typical pizzeria menus鈥攑izza slices, hoagies and cheese steaks.
 

Massimo Grande 媚娘直播 alum Nonno Alby


Nonno Alby鈥檚 fare has created buzz on social media and around Berks County, and has also earned several awards, including 鈥渂est pizza鈥 by Best of the Berks and the Reading Eagle and recognition in Pizza Today, the industry magazine.


鈥淚t鈥檚 been phenomenal,鈥 Grande said about the restaurant鈥檚 success, noting that a number of regular patrons are 媚娘直播 faculty and students. 鈥淚 still see my professors,鈥 he said. 鈥淒r. Flynn comes in on the weekends and fills me in on things that are happening on campus. It鈥檚 always a nice treat to see him and many of my professors.鈥


Among these 媚娘直播 patrons is Business Professor Travis Berger, who recruited Grande to the university when he was the men鈥檚 soccer coach.


鈥淢ass was one of a special group of guys on 媚娘直播鈥檚 very successful men鈥檚 soccer team,鈥 said 媚娘直播 President Tom Flynn. 鈥淭hey were among the first student-athletes I met, and I recall traveling to support them in the playoffs. So it is really fun, over a decade later, to be a patron of Nonno Alby鈥檚, a successful business owned by an alum, and a Flynn family favorite, bringing the best of Italy to West Reading.鈥


Grande remembers his soccer team as a close-knit group that successfully made it to their first-ever conference championship as seniors. Today, soccer remains an important part of his life as he trains athletes at his alma mater, Wilson High School, where he serves as head coach of men鈥檚 soccer. He also enjoys spending quality time with his family鈥檚 youngest generation鈥攈is daughters, Guiliana, 4, and Gemma, 11 months, and his sister鈥檚 children, nieces Sofia and Arianna.


He credits 媚娘直播 for its personal approach to education and warm culture. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one thing I always loved,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou weren鈥檛 just another student. Everyone knows one another and everyone has a name. My whole life has been about family and that鈥檚 what 媚娘直播 is to me.鈥