Most people know Robin Graziano from the Lisbon restaurant, now closed, that bore her family name. Graziano’s closed in 2012, leaving many hungry for Italian food across the greater Lisbon area.

Robin and her family have moved on and now the new drama in their lives has been sweeping Facebook. It involves a family cat named Samhain and her mysterious disappearance in September. After months passed and harsh weather came down, the Grazianos had to resign themselves to the idea that Samhain had probably perished.

You can call it a Christmas miracle, if you’d like, but the wanderings of this enigmatic cat sound more Gaelic to us – she vanished at the end of summer and then reappeared on the winter solstice, as if to celebrate the festival for which she was named.

Got chills? Us, too.

We wanted to check up on Robin in the post-Graziano’s era, but also to ask about her freaky cat and its mysterious travels. Here’s what she told us.

What have you been doing since Graziano’s closed? I have been working at Bates College for their dining service. I design and make jewelry and art of all kinds!

Do you still cook some of the family recipes? May I have some? All the time! And sure . . . I still have to make you that chicken Alfredo Graziano’s style!

What happened to all the restaurant equipment? The equipment was auctioned off. Nothing glamorous there, although a lot of people wanted a “piece” of Graziano’s and they got it. I know of one guy who told me later that he has one of our production tables. . . . He says I could come visit it.

Do you miss it? I started working there in 1987 and worked there right up until it closed. I miss it and I dream of it all the time. I miss that hustle and bustle – anyone who has ever worked in the restaurant business knows that feeling, and adding in the fact that it was a family business makes it way different than any of those chain restaurants.

I miss those regulars that came every week: those who had come for years and years; those who would talk of the old days, and of the great and incredibly generous man my father-in-law was.

I miss our staff. We didn’t have a huge turnover, we kept our staff for years and years and they became family.

What’s up with Samhain? When did she vanish? Samhain vanished Sept. 5th. Being a nature cat, we were sure she had set off to find a place to die. Little did we know she was off on an adventure.

How did you find her? Joey spotted her on the Coastal Humane Society’s Facebook page! She had been brought in three weeks ago by some good folks just down the road from us. We just could not believe it!

What do you suppose she was up to while she was away? We had thought for sure she had died . . . I mean she is a princess. All I have to say is that she’s a lot tougher then I thought. She made it over three months out there in the wilderness.

Copy the Story Link