Lennon/McCartney, "A Day in the Life"

Mama Giola on Bloomfield Avenue closed a few weeks ago. At least, I think it did. I called three times and left messages, but no one has returned the call. I even stopped by a couple weeks ago and saw one of the owners. Her face and voice were sad as she told me, "I think there’s a good chance we won’t be reopening after Labor Day. We just couldn’t make the numbers work. But we’re still waiting to hear back from our accountant."

So let me ask you: did you notice they closed? Ever go there for dinner?

The restaurant industry — as I’ve said, oh, I dunno, maybe 5,000 times — is brutal and unforgiving. You’re on your feet all day; it’s damned tough to make real money; and you work when everyone else is out having a good time (think Saturday nights, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve).

We came to love our visits to Mama Giola and especially our interaction with pastry chef/owner Sara Gazawie and her business partner, Patricia Wippich. The very definition of hospitality, the women presided over the restaurant nightly as a team; proud, we felt, of what they were doing and truly appreciative that you’d stopped in for a meal.

I wrote about our first, deeply satisfying meal there a few months back in this column. The menu, I noted, may have seemed like your typical New Jersey red sauce spot, but then again, who doesn’t love well-prepared red sauce cuisine?

We tended to order the same things time and again: the pasta fagioli, hearty and fragrant. A scallop dish with cannelloni beans, made even better thanks to the searing and caramelized crunchiness of the scallops.

Once I ordered chicken parm, a dish I haven’t had a hankering for in easily five years. It was delicious and a little decadent — all gooey melting cheese atop a rich tomato sauce. A little crispy-crunchy around the edges. A small side of pasta and an order of broccoli rabe with garlic, oil and hot pepper flakes. It was just right.

I’m bummed I’m not going to get the chance to order that chicken parm again.

After you were seated at Mama Giola’s and the server brought the bread, they’d pour a small amount of olive oil onto a little plate and shake in some parmigiana and black pepper. It was a simple but thoughtful touch.

Pat and Sarah’s kindness to our 5-year-old daughter was genuine and moving. One night, Lucy told Sarah all about Spike, our feisty Maltese. Sarah shared with Lu that she baked dog biscuits at home with natural ingredients like peanut butter and whole wheat flour, then delivered them to PAWS. She brought out a box for us to bring home to Spike, requesting that Lucy call her a few days later to let her know if he liked them. She did. And he did, very much.

The restaurant was never full, not once, not even on a Saturday night at 9 p.m. That, we knew, was a pretty bad sign. And we could never figure out why. One weekend, my parents were visiting from out of town. We took them to Mama Giola. Halfway through the meal — which was, as always, both tasty and served with care — my mother whispered, "Why are they so empty? It doesn’t make any sense."

They got a good review in The Star-Ledger, but it clearly didn’t fill their two rooms. Park Place magazine ran a lovely piece, but it clearly wasn’t enough. Hell, I wrote about them myself.

Whenever we’d appear — usually without a reservation — Sarah and Pat would lean down, give Lucy warm hugs, and thank us with feeling for coming that night.

We always left satisfied, and with a desire to return. And now, it seems, we won’t be able to.

In This Column:

Mama Giola, 446 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-783-MAMA.

Local Flavors: Have you checked out the new fall offerings at the Adult School of Montclair? There are several compelling food-related classes that still have seats available. Here are two that are especially intriguing:

"A Feast of Food and Memories," Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 to 10 p.m.

I haven’t read Laura Schenone’s richly praised culinary memoir, "The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken," but this sounds like a wonderful way to meet her — and, at the same time, partake in a four-course dinner inspired by the region of Liguria. Location: Orbis Bistro, $65; registration fee, $5.

"Slow Food for Thought: Raw Milk," Monday, Nov. 3, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

I’ve read a lot about the raw milk "movement," including a piece awhile back in The New York Times that was quite convincing. But tasting is believing -- so join a champion of raw milk who will demonstrate the happy fact that raw milk actually tastes better. And learn why it’s better for your health as well as the planet. Location: Montclair High School, George Inness Annex, $20; registration fee, $5.

Me? I’m signed up for the "Knife Skills" class on Oct. 27. I’ve always wanted to improve my, er, so-called knife skills, and now’s the chance. I hear it’s completely sold out but hey, if you contact the Adult School, maybe they’d be willing to schedule another one next semester.

The best way to register? Online at www.adultschool.org; by fax, 973-509-9226; or by calling the school at 973-746- 6636.

Karen Schloss Diaz is a partner of diaz • schloss communications, a Montclair-based restaurant marketing and consulting company.