Street crews were outside 1073 W. Vernon Park Place in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood because a crumbling piece of the sidewalk Food We Loveneeded repair. A 14-year-old Joey di Buono watched as they poured the cement. As it was setting, Joey decided to write something because that piece of cement was outside his grandparents restaurant: Tufano’s Est. 1930. He also added his own name.

Joey couldn’t have known those decades ago, that in 2018, Tufano’s is still his family’s restaurant and he’s been running it, with tradition and love. After 98 years, it’s just about Chicago’s oldest family-owned establishment — a James Beard award winner serving pasta bolognese, lemon chicken, veal parmigiana and more, beloved by generations of Chicago families.