Dining

Frank Sgro, the legendary maître d’ at The Italian Village, will be retiring March 1 after 56 years spent working at the iconic restaurant. Sgro was only 16 years old in 1959 when he started working as a bus boy, working his way up to waiter and captain before earning the maître d’ position. With the exception of a stint in the Army from 1962 to 1964, has spent his entire professional career at The Italian Village restaurants. “I enjoyed every minute of it,” says Sgro. “I have worked for the greatest family in the business.” Over the years, Sgro …

Take a tantalizing culinary tour of Italy’s Lazio Region with Casa language instructor and amateur chef Giovanna Dimetros. Your adventure will include a cooking class, recipes, information about the region, and mini-language class with the spellings and pronunciations of Italian words and phrases related to food. Typical dishes from Sardegna will be prepared and enjoyed by the students with Italian music playing in the background. The session will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on March 25 in the Mentesana Weber Room of the Community Center at Casa Italia in Stone Park. Admission is $65 per person. This is a BYOB event. …

Gene & Georgetti received the inaugural Chicago Classic Award at this year Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Grand Chefs. The evening featured three-dozen Chicago’s chefs preparing and presenting their signature dishes to more than 750 guests. By the end of the night, more than half a million dollars was raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event took place on Jan. 30 at the Fairmont Hotels and Resort. geneandgeorgetti.com