In Chef's Choice, the Naperville Sun asks local chefs to share their culinary background and experiences and talk about a featured dish found on their menu. This week, we speak with Joe Turco, 57, who co-owns Turco's Italian Deli at 1523 North Aurora Road with wife Sherry, who worked for 30 years in the newspaper industry before helping his brother open a deli in Oak Park and then doing the same for himself in Naperville.

Turco says his culinary training comes from his grandmother, who ran a grocery and deli on Chicago's Taylor Street.

Question: So, your cooking experience comes from hanging around your grandmother?

Turco: Yes. It started when we were little kids and we watched her cook all the time. She'd talk to us about cooking and that's where it began. It carried over to my mom and my sister cooking, and my brother opened a deli in Oak Park 10 years ago.