In Loving Memory of Nonna Franca ❤️
The woman who built the foundation of the Donato name.
Nonna Francesca (Franca) ❤️
Some people leave a mark on the world. Others leave a legacy so full of love that it becomes impossible to separate who they were from everything they built. Franca Donato was that kind of woman.
An Unbreakable Woman
Born on June 4th, 1935 in Bagheria, Sicily, Franca grew up in the shadow of Mussolini's dictatorship and World War II. When the war ended, her family left everything behind — traveling first to London Ontario, Canada, then settling in San Diego in 1967, carrying the recipes and traditions of a village that would one day feed thousands.
As a young girl, her left-handed nature was met with punishment by the nuns who ran her school. They couldn't break her. Nothing could.
A Family Built Around the Table
From the moment she arrived in San Diego, Franca poured herself into two things — her family and her food.
In 1955, alongside her brother Lenny, Otto and her Father John opened the family's very first restaurant — Marechiaros in Grossmont. It was the beginning of something none of them could have fully imagined at the time. A second location followed on 2nd Street in El Cajon in 1959. Then Ottavio's in Santee in 1972. Then Rancho San Diego. Then Alpine. Then El Cajon again.
Franca's Son, Paul Donato
Over the decades, the Donato family grew into one of San Diego's most storied restaurant families — at their peak operating nearly 25 locations across Marechiaros, Ottavio's, and Lenny's, Mama Rosinas, Mama Rosas, and more. In 1983, the recession nearly took everything, however over the years they managed to rebuild. Franca's own son, Paul Donato, carried that same spirit — owning and operating Ottavio's on Main Street in El Cajon for over 15 years, Because that's what this family does.
Recipe's Passed Down Multiple Generations
Through all of it, the recipes never changed. The red sauces, the spices, the Italian cookies, the cauliflower patties — all of it traced back to Franca. The family recipe book, written by Franca and her brother Lenny, has been in use since that very first restaurant opened in 1955. The very lasagna served at Franca's today — including the sauce — is inspired directly by the way Nonna made it for her family. It lives on in every dish we serve.
The Heart of Everything
Franca was the anchor of an enormous family — 10 grandchildren including Franca's owners Dom and Joe Donato, 7 great-grandchildren, and a community that always found its way to her door. She tailored every wedding dress, suit, and tuxedo — never charging a single person. She opened her home to anyone who needed it, no questions asked.
A Love Without Limits
When Nonno got sick, she was his caretaker. When the grandchildren came to her house sick, they left healthy. When there was family drama, she listened — and when someone was in pain, she didn't just listen. She cried with them. She made every single person who walked through her door feel like the only person in the world.
She helped raise an entire village.
Her Kitchen
Nonna's food was unmatched. Her lasagna — including the sauce — is the very same recipe served at Franca's today. Her cookies, her cauliflower patties, her morning eggs — everything she touched turned to gold. For Nonna, food was never just nourishment. It was comfort. It was connection. It was love.
Her Garden
Behind Nonna's home was a garden that felt like its own little world — plum trees, orange trees, lemon trees, rosemary, and oregano. It was her sanctuary. Like everything else she touched, it flourished under her care.
Donato's Restaurant
In 1979, Nonna built a restaurant called Donato's and gifted it to her two sons, Mimmo and Ottavio Donato. For decades, Donato's was more than a restaurant — it was an extension of the family home. The same love, the same recipes, the same warmth that filled Nonna's kitchen found its way into every table it served.
Franca's Italian Kitchen & Bar
After 45 successful years, Mimmo and Ottavio retired — passing the torch to the next generation. Domenic and Joe Donato purchased the business, reopened the doors in the same building, and gave it a name long overdue ––
Franca's.
A name that carries the full weight of everything this family has built — every recipe passed down, every holiday cooked for, every grandchild raised. A tribute to the woman who started it all.
See our most popular items
Here’s a sneak peek of the items our customers can’t stop talking about
