Mike A. Galderio was a gregarious businessman. He would go to every table greeting diners in his Balagio Ristorante in Homewood. They remembered that personal touch.
“People would call with an order and then they’d add ‘I know Mike,’” his son Mike J. Galderio said.
Mr. Galderio, who grew up in The Hill neighborhood of Chicago Heights, died Dec. 29 after a battle with cancer. He didn’t want his family to do anything special when he died, but Mike said it’s hard not to celebrate his father and all he accomplished. Family and friends will gather at Panozzo Funeral Home in Chicago Heights on Sunday, Jan. 8.
Mr. Galderio tended bar and worked odd jobs. He did asphalt work. But then he and a partner started The Tender Trap, a bar in Chicago Heights. From that, he and a partner opened Ciao Restaurant in Matteson. It was a success, but his son said Mr. Galderio always had his eye on Homewood.
When the restaurant space at the corner of Martin Avenue and Ridge Road became available, he rented the space, gutted it and remodeled it to his liking. He hired two cooks from the former Tivoli Restaurant in Chicago Heights who helped him develop Balagio Italian and American cuisine menu that includes his favorite – half chicken roasted in white wine with peppers and sausage. The cooks named it Mike G’s Chicken.
Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld said when he became mayor, Balagio was the first new business to come into downtown. The village also worked with him for the move to 175th Street.
“He was a great restaurateur, and I’ll miss him,” Hofeld said. He recalled Cook County food preparation inspectors reported that Mr. Galderio took great pride in how clean his kitchens were.
Mr. Galderio had success at the downtown spot, but his son said moving Balagio to its current location at 175th and Dixie Highway in 2010 was a sound decision. The new address afforded the Galderios a restaurant/bar augmented by two banquet spaces.
“We could never do that kind of business in the old (downtown) space,” Mike said. Parking in downtown Homewood could be a challenge, but the move gave Balagio its own large parking lot that surrounds the building.
In 2017, Mr. Galderio opened a second Balagio location in Mokena.
Mike said, “You see a lot of turnover. People don’t really stick around in this business,” but Mr. Galderio had staff that worked for him for 15, 17, 22 years. “You don’t really see stuff like that anymore. That was just a true testament to the kind of person my dad was.”
Mike grew up in the business. “I was peeling potatoes at Ciao when I was 7 years old,” he recalled. He earned a college degree but knew he’d follow his dad. “I’m married to the business, and I love it,” he said.
He’s been managing the Homewood location for a number of years. He said he has a great staff at both locations, and he to be the face of the business customers see now.