Sonia Lewelling had me at hello. Her infectious smile said it all as she grasped my hand to greet me. My husband Ed and I had driven over from Helena to dine at her Italian restaurant in Butte, La Casa Toscana. I instinctively knew we were in for some delicious Italian fare.

Sonia was born in Texas, but when her dad was deployed to Vietnam, her mom took the family back to her hometown of Florence, Italy. Sonia grew up in this northern Italian city where she graduated from a culinary school.