Tag Archives: Meet our new columnist!

Being Italian to me is more than just a really cool club membership. It is an upbringing, a philosophy, a lifestyle to be cherished and valued until the day I die. Growing up as a first-generation Italian in Highland Park in the ’60s and ’70s, I am fairly convinced was quite different from the experiences of my American friends. Even though I am a half-breed, my parents were both European immigrants, with accents. I never noticed that my mom couldn’t enunciate her th’s, until I was a pre-teen and my American friends pointed it out to me. After all, my …

Hi, my name is Renato (Ron) Ricchio and I am the new mortgage columnist for Fra Noi. I am the one of five sons of Francesco and Annunziata Ricchio, Calabrese immigrants who came to the United States in 1963. My parents have been a tremendous inspiration and role models for me and my brothers. The righteousness and integrity that they lived by and taught us are priceless gifts that shaped our lives. I am a 1991 De Paul graduate with a B.S. in finance. Finance has always amazed me, and I’ve wanted always to be involved in some capacity. I …

Like many Fra Noi readers, my parents came from Italy (Rende, Calabria). When I was growing up, I was surrounded by parents, grandparents, and many uncles and aunts. This is a privilege that few cultures cherish as much as the Italian Americans. Because respect for elders was something that was impressed upon us at such a young age, it was not very difficult to feel responsibility for the seniors in our family as we all grew older. I suspect that has a great deal to do with why I find myself in the practice of elder law today, or as …

Hi. I’m Giuseppe Zerillo and I’m Fra Noi’s new real estate columnist. Born and raised on the Northwest Side of Chicago, I learned my work ethic from my mother, who taught me to work hard, treat people fairly and always put others before myself. She used to tell my sisters and me while growing up that “People who work hard while their hair is still dark will not have to work as hard when it turns gray.” How true is that! I work for Gateway Realty & Builders, the first and only company I have worked for since I’ve been …