It's hard to mistake the aromas wafting from the kitchen on any given night at Mama Louisa's Italian restaurant.
Plates like its chicken parmigiana, linguine and clams, and the eatery's signature dish, Joe's Special, have been tantalizing the senses of its customers for seven decades.
On Tuesday, the restaurant is celebrating 70 years of serving Italian cuisine in the Old Pueblo.
But to understand how this restaurant became so iconic, you have to go back to the beginning.
"There was a Mama Louisa," said owner Suzanne Elefante. "And she should have her own restaurant."
In 1956, the Casadei family found a prime location on Craycroft to open Mama Louisa's.
"This was a dirt road," Suzanne said. "They heard that the main gate for the base was going to be on Craycroft, so they decided to build the restaurant here."
Taking advantage of its close proximity to Davis-Monthan, the Casadeis built Mama Louisa's into a success.
In 1973, the family decided to sell the restaurant.
Suzy's father-in-law, Joe Elefante, Sr., came to Tucson from Long Island, New York.
"He had a catering truck and he decided that he wanted to go into the restaurant business," Suzy said.
Suzy and her husband, Joe Jr., moved to Tucson in the fall of 1973 to help the Elefante family run Mama Louisa's.
As their family grew, so did the families of loyal customers.
"It's really a wonderful thing to watch," Suzy said. "We have people that come in all the time. For 50 years, they've eaten the same meal every time. Most popular is Joe's Special."
Michael Elefante grew up at Mama Louisa's, watching his parents continue to grow the business.
"You see them work hard," Michael said. "And in this industry you work hard."
When his father passed away from cancer when he was just 12, Michael knew what he wanted to do: become a chef.
"Being on the line and cooking as I grew up was my time to kind of be with him still and enjoy those memories," Michael said. "When I cook on the line or when I'm in the kitchen, it makes me feel like he's there with me. It's my thing with him."
While Mama Louisa's still uses many of the same recipes as the Casadei family did when the place opened in 1956, Michael has added a third-generation section to the menu.
"My ideas, it's my way of expressing myself," he said.
"We do have great-grandparents, the grandparents, the parents, the kids that come in," Michael added. "Yeah, they all want Joe's Special, they want those things. But occasionally there's going to be one person who wants to try something different."
Those generations of Tucsonans who frequent Mama Louisa's will see the three generations of Elefantes who have awards on the wall, as well as a photo of Mama Louisa.
"There's a picture of her on the wall," Michael said. "That is the original Mama Louisa. But the other one, she's sitting in the office. You wave to her. She'll poke her head up over the computer screen. But that's Mama Louisa."
Mama Louisa's will be offering 70% off all food on Tuesday in honor of its 70th.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
