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Photo by Scott Crowder

Tucked away in a downtown corner in the shadow of the baseball stadium, a new restaurant beckons customers longing for an authentic neighborhood Italian meal. And that’s just the way Tracy wants it. She learned her craft from her Italian-American grandmother and now passes on the tradition to her three children, each of whom you can find working at the restaurant on any given night. She strives to use only the freshest ingredients and challenges the modern definition of Italian cuisine. “We try to stick to the real Italian cooking values,” she says. But family values are just as important to Tracy, who co-owns the business with her husband. “We’re trying to create a place where parents can feel comfortable. This is why we gelled with Slow Food so much. It’s not just about buying local. It’s about the whole experience of sitting down and enjoying the conversation that goes with it.”