by Tom Okal

1900. Ellis Island, New York. A line of immigrants forms. They are weary and wary. They wait. The homes they've left behind are miles away in sunny Southern Italy--Sicily, Abruzzo, Campania, Calabria. They bring their culture. Their work ethic. Their kitchen traditions. They will start their new lives in our Eastern cities. Their most valuable possession is hope.

Fast forward to 1965 or 1985 or today. Another line forms. It is filled with nurses, professors, families and students from all over the world on daddy's dime. They wait. But they are happy in hungry anticipation. The line is out the door of Mama Santa's restaurant in Cleveland's Little Italy.

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Source: http://www.thisiscleveland.com/