When Michael Elefante was bussing tables at his family’s Italian restaurant at the age of 5, virtually every dish on the menu was ladled with red tomato sauce. These days, as executive chef at the same eatery, he’s pushing culinary boundaries in a way that honors the traditions of old school Italia while exploring the potential that seasonality can bring to the plate.

Call it a tale of two tables. Expressions of these distinct approaches can be found on a single menu at Mama Louisa’s, 2041 S. Craycroft Road, where dishes from both a heritage-style Italian table and a modern, or what he calls a “third-generation,” table are sharing the spotlight.