When I was a kid, I would tag along with my dad when he visited the Italian grocery/specialty stores in town. We were lucky to have two stores—the Italian Importing Co. downtown, and Graziano’s (and their world-famous homemade sausage) on the south side. Not only could you choose from a wealth of Italian cured meats and cheeses, but my favorite thing to do was to admire the colorful imported Italian-made ceramics. My dad collected these, and passed his collection of Italian serving bowls to me. I value these for sentimental reasons, because we picked them out together. Today, my local Italian deli/grocery, A Taste Of Italy, stocks imported pastas and olive oils, locally made Italian sweets and breads, and at the deli, the absolute best Italian beef sandwich ever made--in my humble opinion. Tender, sliced beef with peppers (sweet or hot—your choice) and melted provolone, and—I’m not done—dipped into a beefy, mouthwatering au jus. Altogether, the flavors come together in the perfect sandwich. For dessert, there are Guanti’s--which we pronounce as ‘wandas’. Fried, almost-sweet dough strips are drizzled with hot-pink icing. They’re crispy, crunchy and top off any meal, since they’re not too sweet. Wanda’s are a tradition to serve at Italian weddings and showers, and go just as well with after-dinner coffee as with an aperitif. If you have a local Italian grocery and deli in your area, I’m sure you’ll discover a special treat or two, and maybe even begin a tradition with your daughter.