Anna Sosi and her brother, Luigi, give new meaning to the term “young entrepreneurs.”
They have been a part of the Rock Falls business community since they were children.
Anna and Luigi are the owners of Kokomo’s shaved ice. Their parents are Tony and Jill Sosi of Rock Falls.
Anna tells the story of how they bought Kokomo’s. They had been saving money for a while for college. They earned their money delivering the Daily Gazette in Sterling. “My brother was ‘Carrier of the Year’ once,” Anna proudly said.
Then when Kokomo’s went up for sale, their father suggested they buy it.
“So, we did – with the money we had saved for college,” Anna said. “I was in fifth-grade and Luigi in eighth, ages 10 and 13, when we bought Kokomo’s in the winter of 1999. Then we opened in the summer of 2000, at the ages of 11 and 14.”
Kokomo’s was a shaved ice stand that sold 30 flavors. Anna and Luigi added more shaved ice flavors, Italian beef sandwiches, and Chicago-style hot dogs.
“We were open after school and weekends,” Anna said. “Now we are just open in the summer, since we are away at college.”
But they have a growing business. They turned the shed they were using into a kitchen and they take their food to a few area festivals, such as Grand Detour, in the summer.
Anna said Kokomo’s features homemade Italian sausage. “We use our Uncle Leo’s Italian sausage recipe, on homemade bread designed to be crispy and crunchy, but still have the ability to soak up all the delicious juices.”
The bread is baked daily and topped with sautéed green bell peppers and onion and Kokomo’s homemade Italian olive salad.
“Everything is made with care and love, to ensure a smiling customer from the first bite to the last,” Anna said.
Kokomo’s authentic Chicago dog is made with a Vienna beef hot dog, tomatoes, pickle, relish, onion, sport peppers, mustard (no ketchup), and celery salt, all on top of a steamed sesame seed bun.
Anna said the business has been pretty much their responsibility, but their parents have helped out when they could. They have a few summer employees. “We try to pick younger kids, to give them the same opportunity we had and to give back to the community. We give to charities,” she said.
Luigi graduated from Western Illinois University in December, with a bachelor’s degree in business-marketing. He currently is working on his master’s degree at Dominican University in River Forest.
Anna just completed a 6-month culinary internship in Turin, Italy and has resumed her studies at Kendall College in Chicago, where she is in her third year. She is pursuing a degree in culinary arts with an emphasis on nutrition.
Their plan is not to abandon Kokomo’s. Anna said they are putting in a drive-through and want to get that up and running.
“Me and my brother opened a business and we had no clue how to run it, Anna said. “We just did what we felt was right. We learned a lot of little things, and we have had some great mentors in our parents.”
“We want to do something special and unique,” Anna said. For now, they plan to continue their partnership and grow with their business here in Rock Falls.
One of Anna’s dreams is to grow the produce they use in Kokomo’s. “We could grow our own vegetables – onions, peppers, tomatoes.” She also wants to someday franchise Kokomo’s.