Joy Mangano opens Jema, new restaurant on LI
TV personality and product designer Joy Mangano with executive chef Franco Sampogna at the opening of Jema, their new restaurant in Huntington, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. Sampogna worked at two three-star Michelin restaurants in Paris. Credit: Johnny Milano
Joy Mangano has got Michelin on her mind — and a rising star at her side.
The mastermind behind the Miracle Mop celebrated the opening of her relaunched restaurant Jema in Huntington Wednesday night, featuring a contemporary redesign in the four-level space and 25-year-old Franco Sampogna in the kitchen. The Brazilian-born chef has worked at two three-star Michelin restaurants in Paris: Guy Savoy and, most recently, Alain Ducasse in the Hôtel Plaza Athénée.
Jema replaces Porto Vivo, which opened in 2009.
Mangano, a regular on the Home Shopping Network, saw her career dramatized in the 2015 Oscar-nominated film “Joy” starring Jennifer Lawrence. Mangano says she is hoping that Jema will make a splash on the Long Island dining scene.
“I think Long Island has so many beautiful restaurants,” said Mangano, who first met the chef four years ago when he was cooking on a yacht. “I truly believe that this incredible young man, who I love like a son . . . is going to make history here.”
Described as a market-driven restaurant featuring globally inspired dishes, the Jema menu now consists of five appetizers and five main entrees, which will change intermittently.
You’ll be paying top dollar for the star power here. Starter options include smoked tuna, quinoa risotto and pan fried foie gras ($16 to $25). The main entrees range from crescent Long Island duck to fluke and halibut ($32 to $45). There is an upstairs lounge with a separate menu in the works and a wine cellar with seating for 10.
Jema is open Wednesdays to Sundays, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Jema, 7 Gerard St., Huntington, 631-385-8486, jemarestaurant.com
