Community, family, tradition and a love of parties all went into Oriana and Larsen Oshana’s decision to buy The Elmcrest Banquets from the Biancalana brothers in 2019. For second-generation owners Jim and Al Biancalana, trusting someone with the family legacy was paramount, and the Oshanas were a perfect choice.
Oriana Oshana grew up in the business. Her father owned and ran The Thirteen Colonies Banquet Rooms in nearby River Grove. She remembers loving going to work with him as a young child and working events all through high school and college. Then, after graduating with a masters in biomedical engineering, she left the business and began a new career. But when her father called her to say he could use her help — but only if she wanted — she leapt at the chance to work with him again running Thirteen Colonies. She was there until he retired and sold the business. When the opportunity to buy Elmcrest presented itself, Oriana and her husband Larsen stepped right up.
The Elmcrest has over 90 years of history in Elmwood Park — originally started as an ice cream parlor in 1929 by Al Biancalana, Sr., it became a family restaurant and then in 1994 Biancalana’s Elmcrest Banquets…