Nani’s Restaurant closes after 19 years in community

The Cuban eatery officially closed its doors on May 6 but allowed for one final hurrah last week to thank regulars for their patronage and hand out extra items and food.

Owner Marife “Marie” Arrazcaeta admitted she has had a love for cooking since she was 12 years old. Learning from her aunt and grandmother, she stepped into the role of family chef after a migraine episode from her mother required her to care for the household.

Nani’s got its start on March 23, 2007, when Arrazcaeta and her husband Ray began selling biscuits and some Cuban fare out of the Gumlog Convenience Store. This lasted a couple of years before they moved to the Union County Farmers Market.

By 2012, they had established a permanent location off Earnest Street in Blairsville, where they opened the area’s eyes to Puerto Rican and Cuban culture as well as the food they grew up on, like Cuban sandwiches, garbanzo bean soup and mofongo balls.

Favorites referenced among customers included the “piggy bowl” and “chicky bowl,” or rice with vegetables and a choice of protein.

The Arrazcaetas agreed that those 19 years meant more than just cooking. The appeal was in the people they served, and over the years, they’ve had generations of loyal customers return and introduce their children to an atmosphere they described as being akin to “sitting in your own kitchen.”

Marie even recalled how some terminally ill customers made a point of stopping by to give their farewells, and if a regular didn’t come in for several weeks, she made a point of reaching out to check on them.

Bob Hancock is one of those regulars who attended last Wednesday. He appreciated the fact that the Arrazcaetas and their staff accounted for his mobility issues and always greeted him. Hancock especially said he often spoke to Ray, who usually kept toward the front of the restaurant.

“It’s good food, but it’s more than a restaurant,” Hancock said. “I’m sad that they’re closing. I understand why, but it’s going to take a wee bit out of the quality of my life, and I have to think about how I’m going to fill that.”

Despite their passion for the job and the love of their loyal customers, the Arrazcaetas believed it was time to move on to other ventures. Marie had been struggling with chronic health conditions and said her doctors had given her special warning about overworking her heart. She and Ray also wanted more time to spend with each other and family.

For the past decade, the business remained for sale, but it wasn’t until about four weeks ago that a buyer approached and made good on the purchase, with the new owner planning to bring a brand-new restaurant to the space.

With the decision finalized, the Arrazcaetas opened their doors one last time to thank their regulars for their support of the first Cuban restaurant in Union County.

“Food is the way to the soul,” Marie believes, adding, “Before I cook, I say to God, ‘Bless my hands for the food that I’m going to make, to not only nourish the body of my customers, but their faith.’”

Though there were bittersweet tears shed by staff and loyal customers, the Arrazcaetas are looking forward to the future.

Ray will continue working in real estate with Natasha, the Arrazcaetas’ daughter. As for Marie, she plans to host cooking classes and find time to return to her love of riding horses with a trip to Montana, where she hopes to one day prepare food for a dude ranch.

There’s a chance that Nani’s recipes are not totally off the menu for Blairsville. While the Arrazcaetas are eagerly anticipating an extended break, Marie said that catering and visits to the Farmers Market are “not off the table.”