Profiles

As a six year old, Francesco Milioto remembers walking into his bedroom, finding his desk moved, and seeing an upright piano where none had stood before. “It was not something I had asked for. But my father had decided I would take lessons” — and as it turned out, from someone who’d never given lessons before. The gambles of such hopeful parents often end in failure or a child’s disinterest. But in Milioto’s case, it definitely resulted in huge win. Growing up Toronto, he studied his craft extensively at the Royal Conservatory, University of Western Ontario (where hearted a top …

Michael J. Zalewski has served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2008. Committee assignments include Appropriations – Public Safety; Environment; Health Care Licenses (chairman); Judiciary; Personnel and Pensions; Revenue and Finance (vice chairman). Subcommittee assignments include Real Estate, Property, Probate, Trusts (chairman); Property Tax; and Finance. Last year, he served on a special 10-member conference committee to reform of the state’s pension systems. An attorney concentrating in municipal and county regulatory compliance for the law firm of Krieg DeVault, Zalewski served as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office from 2004 to 2007. He …

It’s commonly believed that party music should fold into the background. But singer Patti Lupo deserves (an earns) the attention of those who attend upscale celebrations. Whether she’s performing at a wedding or other noteworthy occasion, or singing Christmas songs as part of The Caroling Party, Lupo displays matchless talent. And remarkably, she’s dedicated it not so much to stardom as making special events shine. Lupo, who has an Italian father and a half-Italian mother, grew up with music all around her. “My [maternal] grandparents sang in church choirs in New York, where my mother grew up,” she says. “My …

This month we highlight the career of a very charismatic, highly respected and active Italian-American community leader: Ronald Oppedisano. A successful property appraiser, Oppedisano is also former elected official, revered and respected in that role, and a wonderful family man. He’s the former president (mayor) of the Village of Norridge, Illinois in Cook County – the small community his parents moved to in 1961 after leaving the 4300 block of West Adams Street in Chicago. Oppedisano began his public service career in 1991 as a member, and later chairman, of the Norridge Zoning Board of Appeals. He was appointed to …

By day, Frank De Vincentis works as a financial advisor. But De Vincentis also has a hobby — and a passion — he hopes to share with others through charity: opera singing. De Vincentis credits his High School best friend for his love for opera and introducing him to the Golden Age of singing. De Vincentis recalls performing from a young age in musical theatre and was later introduced to his best friend’s father and vocal coach: Carl Lawrenz. “I owe a lot of my love of classical musical to Carl.” states De Vincentis, who graduated from DePaul University in …

When Joy Loverde was just 14 years old, she volunteered to help out at a nursing home on Thanksgiving morning. Coming as she did from a loving Italian family, she was shocked by what she saw. “I couldn’t understand why seven people were sitting in the dark with no one around them, when I was going home to a large, wonderful Italian fest,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘Something is terribly wrong here. How could this happen?’” Many years later, Loverde would keep that moment in mind and heart when she wrote “The Complete Eldercare Planner: Where to Start, Questions to …

When an individual is suggested for highlighting in this column, a letter is sent requesting background information, ancestral background and the like. From time to time, the subject will provide a narrative, and on occasion one so compelling, so touching, oftentimes familiar, that with slight editing we produce this column in the subject’s own words – such as this month. “My name is Joseph Garofalo and I’m going to tell you my story. My Mother, Lorraine (nee Aigner) Garofalo was born to Joseph and Myrtle Aigner. Myrtle was born in Sweden and immigrated to the USA in the early 1900s …

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 …

This month we highlight the career of a bright leading lawyer and community leader as he takes the helm as president of the DuPage County Justinian Lawyers’ Chapter – Joseph Glimco. A graduate of Benet Academy High School Graduate (1978), and St. Ambrose (1982), he earned his J.D. from Drake Law School (1985). He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1985 and operates the Law Offices of Joseph P. Glimco, III, P.C., located in Darien. Joe practices in the area of family law, which includes divorce, custody, child, adoptions, pre-marital agreements, and paternity. A trained family law mediator, he …