Serving Up Love

Over the holiday weekend, I saw the film Waitress with Keri Russell. Well written, well acted, and funny, it was a delightful cinematic surprise. The story is about Jenna, a diner waitress who bakes outlandish and delicious pies that everyone loves. She’s stuck in an unhappy marriage, and when she finds out she’s pregnant, she’s sure that her life has taken a permanent nosedive. I won’t give away anymore of the plot because it would take away from the pleasure of watching the film for yourself. In the end however, Jenna does discover a reason to live and love.

There is so much about this movie that I adored. Without preaching at you, the film quietly emphasizes the amazing strength and resourcefulness of women. It also demonstrates how suffering can be cured through human connections and the love those relationships yield. Another lovely element of Waitress was the simple joy of good food. Through baking her pies, Jenna finds a way to cultivate joy in her life and also touch the lives of others.

Hmm. Touching the lives of others through creating and sharing an experience at the table. Sound familiar? One of the reasons this film resonated with me so much is because its message was very close to our goal at Rosanna. We want to reach people and bring them together by serving delicious meals on our dishes, which we create with love and infuse with soul.

If you haven’t seen this film, watch it. You’ll come away feeling, much like one of Jenna’s extraordinary pies, warm and gooey inside. But in a good way.

-Don’t discount the power behind cooking with love. Whether cooking for someone or being cooked for, I guarantee you’ll find happiness in the experience.
-During difficult moments, accept support from people who love you. It will feel a million times better than shutting yourself off from the world.
- No matter what your situation is, it’s never to late to change your life, creating a better and happier existence for yourself.







www.rosannainc.com

The Human Connection

Neighbors.

It's a vaguely recognizable word these days. Neighbors: they're the people you share an extended living space with. The other side of a duplex, the halls of an apartment complex, the street outside your front door, are all places you can expect to see them. Believe it or not, the word "neighbor" used to refer to more than just the people who live in close proximity to each other. Neighbors used to provide an integral support system, emotional and practical, for each other. Sadly, this identity of the neighbor has fallen mostly by the wayside

Fostering neighborly connections, while a bit time consuming to cultivate, can prove to be a very worthwhile endeavor.

While I'm home in Seattle, I never have the time to reach out in the way I'd like, to our neighbors. But while we're at the beach, were life is slower, I have the luxury of time. Gearhart has a real community feeling. Unlike in the city, people's lives spill into the street here. Someone is always out walking a dog, and a swarm of kids on bikes, slows passing car traffic to a crawl.

Every summer, my daughter Francesca and I have a tradition of making pie with blackberries we handpick. We had already made a few for ourselves, and this time we decided we'd give the dessert to someone else. We found our recipient in an older man who lived across the street. His wife wasn't with him on this particular visit. We didn't know him, but we did want to connect with him.

When Francesca and I delivered the pie, he was touched by our unexpected and generous homemade offering. After that, we established a lasting relationship.

This holiday weekend, this gentleman met my husband on a walk into town. He invited us to their home for cocktails. To their typical Northwest cottage, I brought over lilacs in a Rosanna Beach Bottle vase as a thank you for the invitation.

We were greeted by a charming couple in their 70's, whose home and habitudes reminded me strongly of my parents. We had a wonderful time with them. They talked about history of the Oregon Coast, and shared with us their adventures and memories during WWII involving Japanese submarines firing on the Pacific coastline.

That night, we crossed a generational divide, and discovered that we had many things in common. We also benefited greatly from listening to stories from their rich lives. Mimmo and I left their home feeling happy, connected, and part of a community we'd not been part of before.

-Reach out to neighbors you see occasionally but don't know. Surprise them with a homemade treat they wouldn't make for themselves.
-Greet people when you see them in the street. A simple hello can go a long way towards making a human connection
-When you are invited into someone's home, show your gratitude by bringing a little something along like flowers from your garden or a bottle of wine you have in the fridge.
-Reach out to strangers. It's amazing what you can learn when people open up and share their lives with you.






www.rosannainc.com

Dishes that are Dear to the Heart

Quite often, we receive emails from Rosanna admirers. They write that they bought dishes from us years ago, and have since broken or misplaced them. They've loved these dishes well, and want to know if we have replacements in our warehouse. I wanted to share one of the most recent messages we were sent:

Hello Rosanna,

I enjoyed reading your biography on your web site and share your passion for Bella Italia.

A few years ago, my wife purchased a coffee mug for me that was made by / for your company. The mug has the image of a post card addressed to Signore Ugo Riso in "Roma." The postmark, "23 7 35 Pesaro" is from a small village in north central Italy on the Adriatic sea named Pesaro. My family has its roots in Pesaro so this imparts a sentimental value to the mug. The mug has a capacity of about 18 ounces.

This mug was damaged during our recent move back to the United States from Portugal. I am in the Navy on active duty and was stationed is Lisbon.

I checked your web site and did not see any items resembling this mug. Is it possible that you may have any of these mugs in your warehouse? I would be interested in purchasing a quantity of these mugs.

Thank you for your assistance.
I look forward to hearing from you.


Unfortunately, the collection in question is no longer in production. However, we scoured our warehouse and were able to find some of the mugs this man asked about.

Stories like these confirm that Rosanna dishes do make a difference in people's lives. The heart and soul we try so hard to communicate with our design does come through. It's wonderful to have our product featured in fashion magazines, but it is responses like the one above that prove we're living up to our mission statement and vision for Rosanna dishes- to create traditions and becoming an integral part of peoples' lives.





www.rosannainc.com

SUMMER WAREHOUSE SALE!

Our annual and much anticipated warehouse sale is fast approaching, and you're invited!

Here are the details:

WHEN:
Friday, June 6th from 1pm to 6pm
Saturday, June 7th from 9am to 6pm



WHERE:
Our warehouse in the SoDo District
440 South Holgate Street
Seattle, WA 98134

On Friday morning we'll be hosting a private shopping event for our email list. To sign up, please email jennifero@rosannainc.com with a request to receive our e-newsletter.

This year, we're also having a dish drive! Bring in your retired and/or mismatched tableware to donate to the Tacoma Housing Authority, and refresh your table with some new Rosanna product. All donated dishes will go to homeless families transitioning into Section 8 housing. It's spring time-- out with the old, and in with the new!

The warehouse sale is always a great bargain, because many dishes are at wholesale pricing. We also still a have a small amount of hand painted Deruta ceramic ware we'll be selling as well as some beautiful antique furniture pieces from Europe.

Our warehouse sale is the perfect spot to find gifts for all occasions and recipients-- teachers, bridal and baby showers, and weddings to name a few. We'll also have everything you need to throw an inspired outdoor summer gathering.

We hope to see you there!

Warmly,




www.rosannainc.com

Rosanna Gift Registry!

Springtime rings in Wedding Season. Fortunately, Rosanna dishes make perfect wedding gifts for a couple that is just starting a life together. As such, we've responded accordingly by adding a new Gift Registry feature to our online store. This feature makes it much easier for your friends and loved ones to let you know which designs you prefer.

To register, just add the items you like to your cart by clicking "I'll Buy It." Then, click on your cart (on the left sidebar of the page) and select the option "save to gift registry." We've also made it easy to search for others' registries. You can enter first name, last name, or e mail address.

Some of my favorite collections to give to newlyweds include:

Cin Cin!
Mondo
Dinner Party Place Settings--always a classic choice

Congratulations!





www.rosannainc.com

Nesting

Last weekend I had an irresistible urge to clean. As a result, I devoted two days to straightening, refreshing, and brightening our home.

These activities, ironing the linens, reorganizing the pantry, clearing away cobwebs, were wonderfully therapeutic. I wondered why I felt so good after accomplishing these relatively simple feats until I realized what I was doing: nesting.

"Nesting" is what we do to make our homes comfortable and happy to live in. Nesting is something I tend to always do in the springtime. A number of activities fall under this umbrella term: cooking, cleaning out the cupboards, donating unwanted things, moving the winter clothes out of your closest. Basically anything that represents a fresh start falls under this category.

I'd like to mention that nesting doesn't necessarily entail a complete overhaul. Start with small things; spring cleaning doesn't have to be top to bottom. No one has the time to take on such a project that large anyway!

I find that my whole family benefits from this seasonal ritual of mine. It's also very gratifying on a personal level to take control of my life by making my environment aesthetically pleasing and welcoming to others.


-Place bouquets of fresh flowers around the house
-Put new candles out and change your table cloth or runner to something bright and springlike
-Change out your daily dishes for a lighter set
-To add a little variety, redesign your mantle displays seasonally








www.rosannainc.com

Have a Happy, Happy Birthday

New birth as rebirth are the hallmarks of springtime. What better moment than now to introduce our new birthday dinnerware!

When I was a little girl, my mother made our birthdays memorable by setting a special table with what we came to call "the birthday dishes." She got out her fine linen, and always used fresh cut flowers as a centerpiece. The care and love my mother put into her children's birthdays inspired me to design dishes expressly for these once-a-year festivities. These dishes, festooned with fantastical cakes aglow with candles, are meant to make the association between happiness and birthday celebration into a family tradition.

When setting a birthday table, I like to use fresh, light colors and a variety of different shapes. I also like to layer patterned dinnerware with basic, single-colored pieces. Placing the cake on a pedestal is also a wonderful way to make a statement that says "Ta Da! Today's your birthday!"

For inspiration, here is a birthday table setting I created using Rosanna product:



Besides our Happy Birthday dishes, here is a list of some other items I used in this shot:
Sweet Dreams ice cream bowls
Dauphine white candlesticks
Dinner Party ice blue plates
White cake pedestals
Napoleon Pearl Pink Flatware (also look at pearlized aqua, ivory, and white)


-When you set the table for a birthday, use the same dishes each year to make the day more of an occasion.
-Create a feeling of familiarity by integrating family heirloom pieces or antiques with newer acquisitions
-Draw inspiration from the season in which the birthday falls- warm colors for autumn, rich hues for winter, light tones for spring, and a vibrant palette for summer.





www.rosannainc.com