When Maria Alfano talks, guests listen. She's the "Maria" behind  Maria's Italian Kitchen.

In the video above, Maria Alfano discusses the ingredients used at Maria's Italian Kitchen for its recipes.

"My daughter buys the freshest, best ingredients that can possibly be sold," says Alfano, speaking about her daughter, Madelyn Alfano, owner of the restaurant chain. "I was just in the commissary in the central kitchen and I saw Pepperino cheese from Italy and I said, 'ooh, I didn't know we got that from Italy', cause I got to take a little container home...for my cooking."

Everyone giggles in the video, but in reality, the ingredients such as the cheese and fresh vegetables really do make a difference in the tastes of the recipes served at Maria's Italian Kitchen Downtown.