Gaspare Indelicato has made Italian food his mission since the age of 15. Thanks to hard work "and a little bit of luck," he says, he’s achieved his long-held American dream: to be a successful business owner, presiding over his namesake pizza and pasta house on Geary and 20th Avenue.

His restaurant, Gaspare's, has been in business since the early '80s—but its vibe goes back to the 1950s: paintings of Italian vistas dominate the walls, grape vines and garlic hang from the ceiling, and jukeboxes line every booth, offering classics like "That’s Amore!" and "Mambo Italiano."