Monica Torline and Debra Gruszecki • The Desert Sun• March 21, 2010

Philomena Pappalardo is willing to do anything to get her daughter to move to California, even if it means opening a restaurant to woo her away from Sicily.

Pappalardo and her husband, Mauro, recently opened their Papa Mario’s Pizzeria at The River in Rancho Mirage.

Pappalardo said her family lived in the valley when she was a child. However, they moved from Rancho Mirage when she was 13 because her sister's asthma was not faring well in the desert.

She wanted to return as an adult, and she's helping fulfill her husband's dream of opening a pizzeria. Her daughter and son-in-law, Graziella and Paolo D'Antone, were in town to help open the restaurant.

“It was a ploy to get my daughter to move out here,” she said.

Papa Mario’s serves pizza, pasta, panini, soup and salad. There are even some authentic dishes from Italy, such as arancini, a deep-fried rice ball stuffed with sauce, meat and cheese.

Pappalardo said the most expensive meal on their menu is the lasagna for $13.95. She wanted to keep price points low to attract more people into the restaurant.