I'm Louis Scalzo, Author
I'm Louis Scalzo, Author
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My works include My Mother's Kitchen: The Kitchens of Taylor Street, published this year, and Tales of Chicago's Little Italy, a firsthand social history of the neighborhood that raised me, to be published by December 15, 2026.
⭐ My Mother's Kitchen receives an outstanding review in the July 2026 issue of La Nostra Voce:
From Pamela Dorazio Dean's review:
"Louis Scalzo has written far more than a memoir... He has written a loving tribute to his family, his neighborhood, and the traditions that shaped both."
"His memories feel genuine, making it easy for readers to understand why this place remained so important to him."
My Mother's Kitchen: The Kitchens of Taylor Street
A firsthand account of the neighborhood kitchen as the heart of family and community life in Chicago's Taylor Street, Little Italy, following World War II.
⭐ My Mother's Kitchen receives an outstanding review from Wendy Brickman,Wendy Brickman, a widely recognized civic leader in Monterey County, has long been a prominent voice in the region’s cultural and community life : My Mother's Kitchen: The Kitchens of Taylor St. by Louis Scalzo | Goodreads
Tales of Chicago's Little Italy — Publishing December 15, 2026
Tales of Chicago's Little Italy is a narrative, firsthand social history of one of America's most vibrant Italian-American neighborhoods during the 1950s and early 1960s. Told through the eyes of a boy growing up on Taylor Street, the book captures the people, traditions, humor, struggles, and everyday moments that shaped a generation, while preserving the voices, values, and culture of a close-knit community that has largely disappeared from the American landscape.
Through personal stories, historical photographs, family documents, and carefully researched context, Tales of Chicago's Little Italy explores what it meant to belong to a neighborhood where family, faith, friendship, and mutual responsibility defined daily life. It is a celebration of Chicago's Little Italy and a tribute to the ordinary people whose lives created an extraordinary community, ensuring their legacy lives on for future generations.
New in Unspoken Words Magazine
New in Unspoken Words Magazine
My essay Taylor Street Certified: Growing Up in Chicago's Little Italy is now published in Unspoken Words Magazine.
My poem Joy and the Ether is also published in Unspoken Words Magazine.
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