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When the ultra-picky Michelin Guide passed judgment on Tocco in funky Wicker Park, they began with a flattering question: “Are we in Milan or Wicker Park?” And just a year prior, Tocco won an OpenTable Diners’ Choice Award in 2013. But for all the bragging he could do about his restaurant, owner/chef Bruno Abate has something else he wants to discuss. Just before the dinner rush — in a mod dining room with white, ski-slope chairs — Abate projects a video on the wall that shows him talking to nearly 40 inmates at Cook County Jail. Rather than prison blues …

Melrose Park is a town with deep Italian roots, and Gianna Capra draws from those roots daily as she reaches for the stars. A lifetime resident of the near western suburb, Capra plays an integral part in the business, spiritual and cultural life of her community. By day, she is a familiar face at Pan American Bank, where she serves as teller. And each Sunday, she is a beloved voice at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, where she performs as a soloist at Mass. A classically trained soprano, Capra has been singing at church since she was 12 years …

Persistence and focus are the keys that open up the doors to success. Eighteen-year-old Cettina Nardulli has unlocked those doors, and a bright future lies ahead of her. Nardulli graduated with honors from Ridgewood High School in Norridge on May 27, having blossomed into a capable young lady. During her high school career, Nardulli managed to juggle participation on the pompom squad and soccer team with a leadership role as class council president and still earned a GPA of more than 4.5 along with an honorable mention on the 2013-2014 Illinois High School Association’s All-State Academic Team. “My parents are …

He’s the manager of digital marketing for the adult division of U.S. Soccer. He also is the U.S. Midwest regional trustee with the Italian National Olympic Committee. And he’s well-known in the Chicago-area Italian-American community as the founder and president of Sportivo Academy, a non-profit organization that provides introductory sports development programs primarily for Italian-American youths in the area. Isabelli says Sportivo, which he founded in 2008, “uses the universal passion for sports in a way to bring local Italian-American youth, coaches and mentors together to not only develop athletic and personal skills, but to help develop Italian cultural awareness …

The Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization is proud to be able to support a wounded veteran each year at its Honor and Hope Gala. This year, CIACO donate $10,000 to retired Army Captain Raymond A. Fleig and his family. In July 2007, Captain Raymond A. Fleig U.S. Army (Retired) was a Platoon Leader in Iraq with the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. While he was on a Forward Operating Base (FOB Hammer) they received incoming mortar rounds. After the initial barrage, his Platoon Sergeant, the next in the chain of command, and he went to check accountability of the 63 …

Christina and Angelina Romano have mastered the art of karate at very young ages. At 12, Christina has earned one third-place trophy, two first-place medals, four second-place medals and four third-place medals. And at 9, Angelina has earned three first-place trophies (including one in national competition), five first-place medals, three second-place medals, two third-place medals and two fourth-place medals. For the past four years, Christina and Angelina have made their way regularly to the Illinois Shotokan Karate Club (ISKC.com) in Geneva, Ill., to practice. They have learned from some of the best, including Sensei Brian Mertell, who serves on the …

Walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, graced with impressively coifed hair, is the picture-perfect dream for any bride. Traveling hair stylist Livia Caporale liviacaporale.com feels happy — and lucky — to be a part of that special day. A graduate of world renowned Pivot Point Academy, Caporale has had a love and passion for hair styling since her days at Trinity High School in River Forest. A typical schedule for Caporale consists of meetings and consultations during the week with her clients. She also dabbles in commercial photography, and offers lessons in hair care and maintenance. When …

Not a day goes by that Vince Chiarelli Jr. does not think about his grandfather. Chiarelli — a Rockford, Ill., native and music enthusiast — has recently taken on the role of president of Vincent Records, an independent label his grandfather founded when he moved to Rockford from Sicily in the 1950s. Also named Vince, Chiarelli’s late grandfather rubbed elbows with some of Motown’s finest to up-and-coming artists in the music capital of the world, Nashville, Tenn., and his innovative work all those years ago is helping his grandson realize his own dreams today. The elder Vince Chiarelli passed away …

Domenic (Nico) Serritella has a lot to be proud of. As a junior at Kendall College, the acclaimed school for hospitality management and the culinary arts, he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and he seized it. As a result, he found himself interning at Trattoria Delle Tele, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Porretta, Italy. Growing up, Serritella vividly remembers watching his culinary inspiration, Mario Batali, on television, and years later he was cooking in the same kitchen that Batali once trained at. Serritella’s father, Domenico, hails from Ricigliano, Salerno, and a family friend and attorney helped Nico make contact …

Elizabeth Poli was a genetics major in her junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when she decided to branch out and volunteer at a local children’s hospital. As she helped out with sick children and their worried families, it all clicked for the Park Ridge native, and upon graduation, she applied for and was accepted at the University of Chicago’s prestigious Pritzker School of Medicine. “I initially thought I would pursue a Ph.D. and do research in a lab,” Poli explains, but a more hands-on career path beckoned. That path became even clearer during her third year of medical …