Esli Molina, 37, worked at pizzerias in Norwalk and Greenwich in his 20s, learning the business in hopes of owning his own restaurant one day. Thirteen years later, he opened Nonna’s Pizza & Pasta at 140 Main St. in Monroe, next to Chuck’s Corner.

“I always wanted to have my own place,” Molina said during the grand opening celebration Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a family dream.” Molina and Dunia, his wife of 17 years, co-own Nonna’s, an Italian term of endearment for grandmothers. The couple lives in Stamford with their two children, Esli Jr., 14, and Zoe, 8, who are already helping out at the restaurant.