Maria Fundora, Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant, on Farm-to-Table Italian Food, the Annual Block Party, and Purple Pansies (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 958)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Maria Fundora, owner of Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant in Alpharetta. With the restaurant approaching nearly 29 years of serving the community, the conversation covers the food philosophy and fresh ingredients that have set Casa Nuova apart since 1998, the family culture behind the operation, and the restaurant’s annual Community Block Party, which doubles as the launch event for her nonprofit, Purple Pansies. Casa Nuova is a cook-to-order kitchen offering traditional Italian fare, including pasta, fresh seafood, veal, and chicken, with a menu rooted in the recipes Chef Antonio Fundora developed at Alfredo’s back in 1974. The restaurant also operates a working farm steps from the building, now spanning 14 acres, that supplies the kitchen with tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, and more during the growing season.
Maria describes hospitality at Casa Nuova as a “50-50 marriage” between food and service, with every guest treated as the top priority. That culture shows in the staff: Chef George has been with Casa Nuova for 28 years, Juan Carlos for 26, and Victoria for 22. The team gathers for a family meal together at 3:30 PM every day, and Maria says she would do the same tasks as any team member. A regular customer put it simply: she can’t always remember what she ordered, but she always remembers how Casa Nuova made her feel. Maria also received the Legacy Award from the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, which she took as a call to mentor younger people in the community.
On the food side, Casa Nuova serves only fresh seafood, fresh veal, and fresh chicken. Nothing is frozen, and all meat is butchered in-house. In the summer months, the kitchen draws from a working farm just steps from the restaurant, which now spans 14 acres and produces tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, and more. The Community Block Party on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026, from 2:00 to 5:30 PM at the restaurant is free and open to the public, with a complimentary buffet and live music. Donations to Purple Pansies are welcome but not required. Every dollar raised by Purple Pansies goes directly to clinical trials and research, emergency grants for families battling the disease, and scholarships for children of pancreatic cancer patients.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- A longtime Casa Nuova regular told Maria she can’t always remember what she ordered, but she always remembers how the restaurant made her feel. That’s the standard Maria and her team work to deliver for every guest.
- Casa Nuova staff longevity is remarkable: Chef George has been with the restaurant for 28 years, Juan Carlos for 26, and Victoria for 22. The team shares a family meal together at 3:30 PM every day.
- Casa Nuova uses only fresh seafood, fresh veal, and fresh chicken. All meat is butchered in-house, which is why portions vary in appearance rather than arriving pre-cut and identical.
- Casa Nuova’s 14-acre farm, which began with a single acre in 2000, grows vegetables used directly in the kitchen during the summer months, including the corn behind the restaurant’s celebrated corn chowder.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:20 John Ray introduces the show and guest Maria Fundora
01:48 Maria Fundora introduces Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant and its nearly 29-year history
04:42 Staff longevity and the family culture inside Casa Nuova
05:39 Legacy Award from the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce
07:37 How guests are remembered and Casa Nuova’s role in celebrations of life
09:12 Annual Community Block Party: free admission, complimentary buffet, Sunday May 3rd, 2026, 2:00 to 5:30 PM
10:42 Block party details: paella, roasted pig, gelato, live music, and children’s corner
15:38 Fresh ingredients: no frozen seafood, veal, or chicken; everything butchered in-house
18:28 The farm: 14 acres of vegetables growing steps from the restaurant
20:57 Purple Pansies: clinical trials, emergency grants, and scholarships for families
21:33 Contact information for Casa Nuova and Purple Pansies
Maria Fundora, Owner
Maria Fundora is the owner of Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant in Alpharetta and the founder of Purple Pansies, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer. She co-founded Casa Nuova in 1998 with her late husband, Chef Antonio “Tony” Fundora, after the couple had built a string of successful Atlanta restaurants, including the original Alfredo’s, which Tony opened in 1974.
Maria immigrated to the United States from Cuba in the 1960s, grew up in Chicago where her father was a restaurateur, and moved to Atlanta in the 1980s. She founded Purple Pansies in 2009 following her mother’s death from pancreatic cancer, and the organization became an incorporated nonprofit in 2017.
Maria has received the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award, the Greater North Fulton Chamber Small Business of the Year Award (2023), the Atlanta Business Chronicle Leaders in Corporate Citizenship Award (2021), and recognition as one of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber’s 50 Most Influential in Georgia. She was also appointed to the National Pancreatic Cancer Council in 2022.
Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant
Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant is a family-owned and operated establishment in Alpharetta that has served traditional Italian cuisine since 1998.
The restaurant is a cook-to-order kitchen offering pasta, chicken, fresh seafood, veal, and vegetarian and gluten-free options, along with daily specials. All seafood, veal, and chicken are fresh and butchered in-house. In the summer months, the kitchen draws from a working farm just steps from the restaurant, growing tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, and more for direct use in the kitchen. Casa Nuova also offers catering for private events of all sizes.
Maria and her husband, the late Chef Antonio Fundora co-founded the restaurant, and their son Jose “Pepe” Fundora now serves as executive chef. Casa Nuova is located at 5670 Atlanta Highway in Alpharetta and is open Monday through Saturday beginning at 4:00 PM.
Purple Pansies
Purple Pansies is a nonprofit organization founded by Maria Fundora in 2009 after losing her mother to pancreatic cancer and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2017. Its mission is to fund research and provide support for those affected by pancreatic cancer through clinical trials, emergency financial grants for families actively battling the disease, and scholarships for children of pancreatic cancer patients.
Purple Pansies operates entirely on volunteers, and every dollar raised goes directly to its mission. Two annual fundraising events support the organization: the Community Block Party, hosted each spring at Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant, and the Pillars of Hope gala each fall. Through these efforts, Purple Pansies has raised more than $5 million for pancreatic cancer research and patient support.
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Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
Approaching 1,000 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
