On Dec. 8, 1967, Gena (Guagenti) Mongelluzzo sat down with Lima News columnist Hope Strong to talk about the Guagenti family, which, necessarily, involved a lot of talking Since Gena’s father, Frank Guagenti, first set foot in Lima in the early 1930s, the extended Guagenti family, which includes Guagentis, Azzarellos, Venturellas and Cecalas, has grown and woven itself into the city’s fabric. They have been involved in many Lima restaurants — mostly Italian and most prominently the Milano Club — and other businesses ranging from car washes to carry-outs as well as numerous local charitable endeavors.

It all began in the town of Caccamo near Palermo, Sicily, with Joseph “Giuseppe” Guagenti and his wife, the former Vincenza “Virginia” Venturella. The couple’s oldest son, Frank, was born in 1900, followed two years later by Giuseppe (Joseph), and two years after that by Louis. A fourth son, George, was born in 1905 before the couple welcomed daughters Concetta and Nicolena into the world.