[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14518]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING GENUSA'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

 Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, one of Louisiana's best kept 
secrets is that our cuisine encompasses far more than oysters, gumbo, 
and boudin balls. In fact, Louisiana is home to a wide variety of 
culinary perspectives, often passed down from generation to generation, 
including this Small Business of the Week, the family-owned and 
operated Genusa's Italian Restaurant in Monroe, LA.
  After spending years dreaming of sharing their Italian family recipes 
with friends and neighbors, Cherry and Francis Genusa took the 
entrepreneurial leap and opened their namesake restaurant in 1967. 
Using the original recipes passed down from Francis's mother and aunt, 
the couple offered up authentic Italian dishes to the Monroe community. 
For several years, Genusa's Italian Restaurant remained a hidden gem as 
Cherry and Francis did all the cooking, cleaning, table-waiting, and 
general management. This was in addition to raising their three 
children--Rachel, Ann, and Francis--who initially helped by rolling out 
meatballs and eventually were entrusted with more responsibilities.
  Over the years, Genusa's Italian Restaurant became a Monroe favorite 
and has enjoyed such success that it outgrew the original small kitchen 
and single dining room. Today Genusa's Italian Restaurant has grown to 
employ several Monroe locals who serve a dedicated clientele and also 
host celebratory occasions in their multiroom establishment. And 
Rachel, Ann, and Francis, who now run the restaurant continue with 
their family's tradition of growing their own herbs and tomatoes for 
their signature red sauce.
  Congratulations to the Genusa family for nearly 50 years of small 
business success, and with that, I would like to formally recognize 
Genusa's Italian Restaurant as Small Business of the Week.

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