Sicilian-born Lucia Saglimbeni will tell you her Lighthouse Point restaurant Rocca Trattoria isn’t a business. “It’s a place where you get the same feeling as if you are at home, that each and every plate is made with love.” She isn’t just saying this. The chef came alone to the United States from Italy in 2014. Her mother had died the year before in an accident involving a drunk driver. Saglimbeni was driving the car when the driver cut them off and her car flipped over.

“There were too many memories. I focused on starting my life over in another country,” she said. “Cooking has helped me overcome my mother’s death and to understand that life goes on, that we should keep fighting for our dreams.”