Born in Sicily

Leo was born in Terrasini Sicily (near Palermo) in 1941. His mother was a dressmaker and his father was a farmer. Leo had 2 sisters and one brother. In 1960 the whole family moved to New York and began a new life here in the United States. Leo began cooking in New York city hotels when he was in his early twenties. After a few years of developing his culinary skills in the Big Apple he got the urge to see more of the world and moved to Australia. Leo worked there for three years, cooking and mining for gems. Leaving the opals behind he headed for the gold coast of San Francisco California. There he continued honing his cooking skills in the Italian neighborhood of North Beach and in the up and coming Mission district.

Grand Rapids

In 1971 Leo moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where most of his family had moved. He opened his first restaurant there called "Florentine". Over the years the restaurant's reputation grew but the restaurant's size didn't. In 1983 he sold it and opened a new and bigger restaurant, "Trattoria". His new establishment was soon getting rave reviews and his loyal following continued to grow.

Ludington

In 1998 Leo moved to Ludington, Michigan and opened "Luciano's Ristoranti" at 103 W. Ludington Avenue. It remains the only authentic Italian restaurant in the area with customers coming from as far away as Detroit, Chicago and Grand Rapids. He runs the business with his charming wife Ghada who is from Jordan. They have two sons: Jawad and little Luciano whom the restaurant is named after. Leo's employees are often amused when a new customer comments on how good a pizza or a pasta was and they ask them to compliment Luciano the chef. They usually let them know that he is still in grade school and definitely not working in the kitchen (at least not yet!).

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Luciano's Ristoranti • 103 West Ludington Avenue • Ludington, MI 49431 • (231) 843-2244
Luciano's Ristoranti © 2007. All Rights Reserved.