Creatively Speaking – Le Sorelle

Creatively Speaking – Le Sorelle

Thanks to Emma Stergoulis, Birdcage Design, for this wonderful interview

Last year I posted on Le Sorelle a business which was created by four sisters and their parents in Tuscany Italy. Gemma and her mother have kindly agreed to be interviewed, and I thought a little escapism to Tuscany would be good for us all after the Christmas break and the reality of getting back to work.  So sit back and grab yourself a cup of tea…. Thankfully their English is beta than my Italian!

How did Le Sorelle come about?

The name of our store was an idea of our youngest sister Gaia. We were all sitting at the table, trying to decide a nice name for our first store and suddenly Gaia, who was just 3 years old, said: “ Why don’t we call it “Le sorelle”? We are 4 sisters!And we all loved it!!

What, where and/or who inspires you? 

We are inspired by our beautiful landscape, Tuscany!

You have a very family orientated business, what are all of your strengths. 

Our strength is to be a family where each one tries to bring good and new creative ideas to our business.

How would you each describe yourself in 3 words?

CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY AND FAMILY!!

Where do you see Le Sorelle in 5 years time?

We see us in the same place, Tuscany, trying to find new ideas for our business and hoping to be a little bit more known around the world.

Which is your favorite product and why?

I think our favourite product is our Uashmama® paper bag…it’s something you can use for whatever!! For bread, plant, candies, soaps, towels…and the list could be soooooo long!

           What has been the most exciting point in your careers to date and why?

          One important point of our career was the fair in Frankfurt, where we were exhibiting our Uashmama® products in August; it was really             successful!

           Do you have any major projects in the pipeline at the moment? Can you share these with us?

           We have some big projects but…it’s to early to reveal them:)

           If you could set up a store in any other place in the world where would that be?

           We would love to be in Sydney with a small “Le sorelle” store (Hopefully I will get an invite to the opening girls!!….)

           If I were coming to visit your home town where would be the must stop place or places for me to visit?

           We would bring you to our favourite restaurant in Lucca: Canuleia; a very cosy place where the owners, Paolo and Yuriko, make you feel at         home, serving you wonderful and special dishes! (I am there!!!)

           Describe your perfect Day

            Answer from my mother:

           “Wake up in a sunny day,have a big healthy breakfast, have a walk with my two Jack Russell (Teo and Brando), go to work in my shop in            Lucca (my second home!) and be back home where my daughters have prepared dinner for me and the all family”

            “But…It’s  a dream…(comments by the daughters..hahaha)”

            Now as much as I love your shop, I love cooking and am always eager to find out a new recipe… what is your favorite dish to cook?

This is our famous PAPPA AL POMODORO recipe:

Ingredients for 4 people:

500 g (about 2 cups) peeled tomatoes, chopped

250 g (about 1/2 lb) stale bread (preferably Tuscan bread), cut into smallish pieces

1 liter (about 4 cups) vegetable broth, warmed

4 cloves of garlic, minced

basil, chopped coarsely

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

HOW TO PREPARE IT:

Put the bread in a large bowl and pour the warm broth over it, cover and set aside for at least 1 hour.

Over medium heat and in a wide pot, pour the oil and sauté the garlic. Add the tomatoes and a dash of salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Go back to your bread, which should have absorbed most of the broth. Add the bread to the pot, squeezing it a bit with your hand as you do so to eliminate any excess broth. Cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon.

Serve warm, adding a bit of fresh cut basil and a swirl of good olive oil on top.

I hope that you enjoyed…..meanwhile on with the colourful adventure….