It begins in the heart of the home.

I’m happy to release a line of products created to honor my mother, Madelyn, who loved cooking and making a cozy home. She would tell stories of her Italian heritage who relied on a home garden for fresh herbs and vegetables. Grandma Nazarina’s kitchen always had a pot of fresh tomatoes cooking for sauce and warm baked bread on the counter. She would feed the ‘hobos’ who came off of the trains and would come to the house looking for work and a hot meal. She asked them to do a few easy chores, wash up and wait on the front porch. As young girls, my mom and her sister would fill their plates with a hearty meal and mason jars with fresh water. They learned how to be kind to all folks, especially those who were hungry. She shared with us some of their stories and how a good meal can bring us all together.

On Sunday dinners, my Mom would prepare the table for as many friends and family that we could squeeze around it (including a few pups underneath to catch the crumbs). And Dad, the best clean-up crew, believed to ‘never go to bed with a dirty kitchen’. The aroma from her meals were amazing and she was so proud to see full plates and empty serving bowls.

Her kitchen had a full drawer of fun, colorful tea towels thrown over her shoulder while she cooked (Italian mapine) and sometimes used in a bread basket or as a placemat for us messy kids. The dining room table always had a beautiful tablecloth and a bowl filled with fruit. Keep these traditions alive with friends and those who have become your adopted family.