Petals From Roseland

  When it comes to writing this column, I am sometimes at a loss for a topic and then, I receive a gift of buona fortuna. That’s what happened this month. On a Wednesday, my buddy Ed Wolak and I decided to try out the $8.95 Italian Feast Buffet at Carlo Lorenzetti’s. On the following Sunday, I was invited by my friend Johnny Aver to be a guest at the annual Treschè Conca San Luigi Gonzaga luncheon at Lorenzetti’s. The next Tuesday was the last Tuesday of the month, which most every Roselandite knows is Spaghetti-O’s Tuesday at Lorenzetti’s. That …

  This has been a very busy year so far for Pullman, with ceremonies, celebrations, tours, national competitions, and approval of and arrangements for new business developments and new construction. By the end of 2018, the largest building in the Pullman National Monument Park will be the Whole Foods Retail Distribution Center building, at 140,000 square feet. As with many new projects in Pullman, the efforts of the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives have once again proven productive. The building will be located just north of the Methods products planet-friendly soap factory, which is situated across from the Police Station on 111th …

The Friends of Pullman Annual Reunion Picnic will be taking place soon, and you’re invited. The event is open to former Pullmanites, Roselandites and Kensingtonians and their friends and family members. If you’ve ever told your children, grandchildren, friends or complete strangers about where you grew up and the great people you grew up with — this is your chance to show off. Over the past seven years, this picnic has grown into the single largest one-day event in Pullman. In the beginning, many visitors came by just to see what was happening. They showed up without any food or …

  As a youngster in a first-generation Italian-American family in Roseland, eating out wasn’t something we did very often. As a matter of fact, if I try really hard I can only recall an occasional First Communion or Confirmation that led to some fine dining, Roseland style, at Pesavento’s. As a result, finding our way out of the family kitchen typically involved developing our own circle of friends and enjoying new experiences, including learning more about the many culinary offerings that were available in our neighborhood. As I got older, I saw that each of my brothers and sisters not …

Stop in any chain grocery or “super” store, and among the many departments to choose from you’ll always find a “killer” in-store flower shop. Cute little bouquets with sprigs of green and sometimes even baby’s breath are often available. Maybe not too many flowers in the bouquet, but just enough to warrant the $5.99 price tag. Of course, you have the option of buying the $9.99 bouquet with a few more flowers and a wider array of colors. These are your floral options today, but what about the traditional options that these options have “killed” off?” Before there were “floral …

Such a simple phrase for a never-ending trip down memory lane. Throughout the years, Roselandites have entrusted many nostalgic items to me in the hope that they will find a permanent home in a display of some sort. I think it is time to celebrate some of these items by discussing them in my column. Whenever one of us kids would ask, “What’s the phone number?” our mother or father would yell out “It’s in the book!” Of course, the book they were referring to was the local phone book that was about the size of a half of an …

  With my Roseland background and all the Roselandite events I’ve attended throughout the seven plus years I’ve been writing this column, I could go on and on about what I know about Gately’s. That would only be my story because we all have stories of growing up in and around Roseland and have recollections of visits to Gately’s. I put out a call to as many Roselandites as I could via electronic communications and some in person interviews and have had fifty-plus responses. Shopping at Gately’s with your mom or on your own gave every Roseland boy or girl …

  Back in December the members of the Veneti nel Mondo held their annual Christmas dinner at Villa Brunetti Banquets in Franklin Park. What it turned out to be was a fantastic reunion with many of my fellow traveler friends to the wonderful country of Italy. We were able to reminisce as we once again, tipped a few glasses of wine while enjoying a very good meal. Don and Maureen Peczek showed up with Don carrying a bag of hair hats for those that wanted to buy one. Don had started out on our trip wearing a “hair hat” which …

  Here we are on the cusp of 2016 and I’ve got some updates and clarifications about 2015 topics in my most recent columns. I am also going to continue with a description of my fantastic trip to Italy with the Veneti nel Mondo. First off, let me say that the 42nd Annual Pullman House Tour was a great success and a major reason for that success was the made to order beautiful weather. There were nine houses on the tour this year along with four civic buildings. The first floor of the Hotel Florence was open for viewing and on …

  Experiencing Italy with 35 like-minded individuals was a true gift. I can see why many of my fellow travelers were making the trip for the second, third or even fourth time. For some, the trip was an opportunity to visit family while for others like myself, it was a chance to see the many beautiful cities we had heard about throughout our lives. To me, the most enriching and rewarding part of the trip was our “guida’ guide Simonetta Ferramosca, for her third trip guiding a Veneti nel Mondo excursion. In 2009 my son and I visited Rome and …