Italian Natives Find Love, Success in 25-Year Journey Running Trattoria Gianni

Italy native Susanna Cherubin didn’t make it into Lincoln Park’s Trattoria Gianni while on her first visit to Chicago. But when she stopped in during another trip, she had no idea it was going to change her life forever.

After all, that’s where she met her husband, Gianni Delisi, who emigrated from Italy in 1973.

“I guess it was meant to be,” she said. “Maybe it’s good I didn’t go in the first time I saw the restaurant and went the next time.”

Delisi and Cherubin have spent about 17 years together, just eight shy of the restaurant’s longevity. Trattoria Gianni, 1711 N. Halsted St., is celebrating 25 years in business this month.

Delisi was just 16 when he came to the area and even then, he hoped to someday open a restaurant. He found a home on the North Side and in 1988 eventually created Lincoln Park’s Trattoria Gianni, an authentic, romantic Italian restaurant.

“My dream was always to open a restaurant,” he said. “I remember when we first came here, there wasn’t a lot of traditional Italian food.”

Delisi’s family operated a restaurant in Sicily. When he moved to the U.S. his family lived with his aunt in Lake View, and he got a job at Italian Village busing tables and washing dishes.

When he finally got the opportunity to open his own eatery, he opted for the then-up-and-coming Lincoln Park. The restaurant attracted the attention of Cherubin who eventually moved to the city permanently and returned there to ask for a job.

She was hired as a waitress, worked her way up to management and in time, married Delisi.

The focus at Trattoria Gianni is creating an authentic Italian dining experience. Delisi features only Italian wines and creates mostly traditional dishes, many of which stemmed from recipes at his family’s restaurant in Italy.

Delisi is there every day, giving a face to the business with which people can connect, and he says consistent excellence has been the key to success. That means handmade pasta, fresh seafood and meat and seasonal vegetables.

He goes to Italy every year to see what’s new and generate ideas. And that’s paid off. In 2012, Trattoria Gianni was honored as one of only 20 Chicago-area restaurants to receive certification from the Italian Hospitality Board, which recognizes restaurants for their quality-approved Italian cuisine and wine selections.

“If you don’t have passion, you don’t belong in this business,” he said. “We offer people the best product possible and must be consistent.”

During the 25 years the restaurant has become a neighborhood favorite, conveniently located across from the Steppenwolf Theatre.

The venue has brought in countless celebrities, many of whom performed at the theater. Some have become regulars of the restaurant and friends of Delisi’s, including Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinese and Steve Martin.

But Delisi remembers all the regulars. He’s seen people come in on a first date and later return for their wedding rehearsal dinners, their child’s baptism reception and that same child’s graduation party.

“Just seeing the joy of people walking out and being happy, you know you’re doing something right,” he said.

The restaurant is ringing in its 25th year with a $25, three-course pre fixe menu throughout June, as well as $25 bottles of select wine.

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