Two years after renovating Jed's Local in Mid City, restaurateurs Sally and Russell Davis are ready for a new venture.

Enter: Josephine's Italian Restaurant.

In the space that was formerly Roman's Greek and Lebanese Cafe on Government Street in Baton Rouge, the couple will pay homage to Russell's maternal grandmother, the restaurant's namesake. They will use her recipes for meatballs, pomodoro and antipasta.

"She was pretty much the reason why I fell in love with cooking, and she's 100% Sicilian," said Russell Davis, who called his grandmother "Nan."

Nan's parents, his great-grandparents, came over from Sicily, went through Ellis Island and eventually settled in Massachusetts. Growing up, he remembers his grandmother's Sunday dinners, watching her sauce simmer on the stove while she sn

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