“Food is an art.” The family of Julia Rita Brown is keeping her love of food and family alive with a huge mural on the side of Genova Pizza in Audubon, New Jersey.
The owners of a South Jersey pizza restaurant wanted to do something special for their grandmother who was the face of the business and family for years.
“30 years. It's been in our family,” Gemova Pizza owner Ali Doukali said.
Family has been the focus of the pizzeria along Cuthbert Boulevard in Audubon, Camden County, all that time.
“You see this everywhere from the hanging sign to the pizza boxes," Doukali said.
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Julia Rita Brown was more than just a face, however.
“She's always been a huge inspiration to me and my brother, especially in the kitchen,” Doukali said.
Brown died in December 2024 at the age of 93. So, Doukali and his brother, Omar, “decided to go big” to honor the family matriarch.
Now there is a mural on the side of the pizza shop that show’s Brown’s big smile for everyone who stops in or drives by.
The recent unveiling of the mural - "A Homage to Our Grandmother" -- brought emotions to Brown’s family.
It could only be described as a slice of heaven.
“She's been such an inspiration to us,” Doukali said. “And, you know, we can't let that die.”
"It means a lot" one of Brown's daughters said.
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