When you first drive into the parking lot at Mama Louisa’s Italian Restaurant, it seems like your typical Italian restaurant; however, walk in and taste not only some of the best Italian food in Tucson, but the real flavor behind the meaning of a family-owned restaurant. 

Suzanne Elefante will be the first to tell you that Mama Louisa’s stands for family. She and her husband Joseph, who died in 1998, took over Mama Louisa’s in 1973 when they moved from Florida to Tucson.

Her husband was a printer and decided to go from printing to pasta. Having no real cooking experience, he learned and mastered the fine art of Italian cooking. Suzanne worked at first as a server so she could be with her husband. As their family grew so did the help. Her three children as toddlers learned to roll meatballs and over time continued to learn the culinary arts associated with being the children of restaurant owners. 

Suzanne now runs Mama Louisa’s and states, “This is a life, not a job.” She says, “We are proud of what we do because it’s important to have good food.” Being a patron of Mama Louisa’s since I was a wee child, I fully agree that the food is served with pride. The day I was there to do this interview, her sister Theresa Mowery, the head chef who keeps the traditional recipes tasting so good, could be seen keeping the kitchen running like a fine-tuned machine and though she looked busy and hectic, she has a sparkle about her. You know that this food is prepared with love and pride.

Mama Louisa’s, located just north of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, serves Italian cuisine like no other place I have eaten at in the 50-plus years I have lived in Tucson.

Their sauce is tangy and goes quite well over a variety of their homemade pastas they make daily. They make sauce daily as well; however, they allow it to simmer to perfection for a day so you get all the wonderful flavors of an aged sauce. 

With yummy dishes such as Joe’s Special, which is homemade linguini topped with cheese, hot-pepper seeds, fresh chopped garlic, and a very special sauce that makes your mouth water, how can you go wrong? While I was there, I had their famous meatballs that are not only gigantic they are moist and filled with flavor. I personally like their eggplant or pork parmesan with fresh linguini; however, no doubt, whatever you decide to eat you are bound to be happy.

Because Mama Louisa’s has been in the same location for over 56 years, they have become an icon in Tucson. Suzanne says she has watched young families walk in with their children, watched their children get married, and have their own families. She says she loves to see the generations walk through their cozy restaurant located at 2041 S. Craycroft Rd. 

Whether you are young or old, a native Tucsonan, visitor, or new to Tucson, Mama Louisa’s is one Italian restaurant you do not want to overlook. As I was eating my spaghetti and meatballs, writing this article I thought Mama Louisa’s stands for family, flavors, and fun. Then I thought I should have asked Suzanne how to get spaghetti sauce out of my light-blue shirt.

So go pay them a visit, tell them I sent you, and ask for their power card. Earn points and earn a free gift card. Take your family, friends, and out of town guests to this family-run Italian Restaurant and bite into a little taste of Italy and a lot of love.

Well it was the 40th anniversary of Woodstock last week, and this made me reflect on many things about the impact of the music world in 1969. First, how old I am. I am the very person that as a teenager I told everyone to avoid. Jerry Rubin of the Chicago Seven used to say, “Never trust anyone over 30,” and here I am 21-years past the age of 30!

As I watched programs about Woodstock on the History Channel, I remembered what a year 1969 was. I mean, man not only landed on the moon; they walked on the moon, and David Bowie’s debut single, “Space Oddity”, became a huge hit. Speaking of an out-of-this-world experience, it was also the year The Beatles performed in public for the final time as a group in an impromptu rooftop jam in England.

In 1969 quite of few musical adventures happened. The Who released “Tommy”, the first successful “rock-opera”. Diana Ross left the Supremes. The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison was arrested for indecent exposure during a concert in Miami. Brian Jones of Rolling Stones died. Blind Faith formed, with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker from Cream, and Steve Winwood from Traffic.

Speaking of bands, quite a few great bands got their start in 1969. Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England. King Crimson, The Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers Band, Little Feat, and Earth Wind and Fire were just some of the bands. 

 In 1969 I was an 11-year-old wanna-be hippy who just formed a little band called The Peace Factory. None of us knew what we were doing, but we all played our guitars until our fingers bled. The Jackson 5 released their debut album and Michael Jackson was a child star. I was confident I could be a child star too, after all, I bet his fingers didn’t bleed playing guitar!

I think outside of Woodstock, one of the big events that stood out for me was The Rolling Stones and the Altamont Speedway Free Festival in northern California. The Hell’s Angels were hired as security by the Rolling Stones. Though 400,000 people attended, it was by far nothing like Woodstock. In fact, the concert turned violent when the Hell’s Angels stabbed a person multiple times on film right in front of the stage during the Rolling Stones’ set. I remember my parents saying something about how rock and roll creates violence. The sad thing was they were wrong. Rock and roll helped point out violence; at least that is what I thought.

After viewing the picture here of what these same people on the cover of the Woodstock album look like now 40 years later and by the way they are still together, I am glad that it makes me reflect. It was interesting to read and watch so many things about Woodstock these past few weeks. I think it is incredible that a 3-day rock concert with LSD bad-trip tents, pot smoking, sex, and free love made such an impact on history that we continue to celebrate its legacy.

I was sitting at a restaurant waiting to talk with the owner for the latest and greatest food interview. I looked at my watch and realized the person was running a little late, so my mind wandered, as it does if I have to sit for more than a minute! I began to think what is retro and who even started using the word retro? Mmmmmm, the food here smells good, and with my stomach growling I wonder if the person will ever show.

I enter back in my head to escape the yummy smelling delights. Is retro outdated fashions that are now fashionable again? I used to think retro was polyester, poodle skirts, and lava lamps, but that isn’t a good description either. So I need to discover what does retro really mean.

Where would one search out the meaning of retro? I went where all us computer geeks venture to find answers. EBAY! So here is what I discovered. Retro gets you a little more money than a non-retro product, but does not rake it in like a vintage product. So I am gathering that retro sells but vintage outsells for bigger bucks, by at least 25%!

Okay, I have been waiting for 30 minutes, and this wait is getting old. Oh yes the word old. Now what is the difference between vintage, retro, and old? I sometimes wonder if I can keep up with the past, actually I sometimes wonder if I can keep up with my mind. Anymore it seems like retro is anything and everything 60 seconds or older. As in, “Look at the cool retro shirt he got in the mall yesterday.” So his shirt is only 24-hours old and it is retro? Then there is the, “Look at this vintage wine gift set.” Take note the gift set is brand new, so it cannot be vintage, yet it is being talked about and sold as vintage.

I think it is all too confusing and there are two choices I need to make; stay away from the malls that sell brand new retro and vintage items, or try to make my own definition of what retro, vintage, and old mean. Of course, I am going to create my own definition. SO here goes.

 Pre-1950s I believe should be considered vintage. So we could say, oh that dress from the 20s is “vintage.” Now that would mean anything post 50s would be retro as in “dig that neat poodle skirt.” Old can be a bit more difficult, but if yesterday’s news is old, and bread is a day old, then it would make sense that old would be anything that is 24 hours or older up to the retro phase which is 50s through 80s. This is my brain after a 45-minute wait. I’m out of here!