atlanta holiday gifts Archives | Page 2 of 2 |

We’re here to whet your appetites this morning with a fun Q&A with Bella Cucina creator, Alisa Barry! And this just so happens to be a timely post, as Alisa’s fabulous creations serve as idea hostess and holiday gifts.

If you’ve visited the showroom lately, chances are you’ve seen some Bella Cucina products. And we’re here to share these gorgeous pantry staples are just as delicious as they are beautiful. With an appreciation for beauty and a sensibility for classic, yet innovative flavors, Bella Cucina makes products by hand, in small batches in the traditional European hand-crafted way. We’re thrilled to offer them to all of our friends and fans in the steve mckenzie’s showroom.

Alisa Barry Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee

About Alisa:

Alisa is an artist, author & entrepreneur. 

Honing her culinary skills in San Francisco, Berkeley and the California wine country, she formed a food philosophy that continues to inform her simple, yet sophisticated cooking style. She believes it’s not only about what you eat, but also how you eat. When we take time to slow down and savor, we can enjoy food as a simple luxury in our daily life. 

After opening a small, European-style lunchtime café in Atlanta, Alisa expanded her offerings from locally sourced seasonal and organic menu items to a line of beautifully packaged pantry provisions.  

Winning numerous prestigious industry awards, Bella Cucina has garnered the attention of the media over the years. A highlight has been a feature on Oprah’s most popular “Favorite Things” show {twice!}, O magazine, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes & Garden, and Cooking Light. 

Alisa and her designer husband, Smith Hanes, enjoy returning to her culinary roots in the quiet food mecca of Yountville, California and visiting her favorite places in Tuscany, Italy. 

sm’s: Can you please share a bit about your background/how you started Bella Cucina and how you gained the courage to break out on your own?

AB: I first fell in love with the art of eating when I lived in Europe many years ago. Every time I returned, I was reminded that taking time to savor is one of the simplest luxuries we can afford ourselves, everyday.  Bella Cucina first started as a small lunchtime café.  Inspired by Alice Water’s philosophy of using what’s in season, I would buy whatever the organic farmer’s harvested for the week and create my menu around the ingredients.  I was the cook, the caterer and the clean-up crew.  Soon after we opened, customers were asking how they could enjoy the flavors of the food in their own kitchen.  Within a short year, I was bottling up freshly picked basil pesto, baking Death by Chocolate cookies and  and preserving a Mediterranean condiment called preserved lemons.  Within a short time, I had a complete line of Italian-inspired pantry provisions. Fast forward a decade and some years later;  Bella Cucina has become an award-winning artisan-made product line sold around the world.

sm’s: What inspires you/your work?

AB: Bella Cucina is one vehicle for my creative and artistic expression. It is my offering, my art. It’s also been an unexpected vehicle for personal transformation.  Over the last 2o plus years I’ve been in business, I’ve had many accomplishments and accolades. I’ve also experienced overwhelming obstacles and adversity.  I have found that it is in the challenges and change that I have learned the most, which has shaped the artist & entrepreneur I am today. Alchemy isn’t easy, but it always leaves beauty behind.

I am inspired by everything.  Aesthetic arrest is what awakens me. I like to think of my life as a perpetual pilgrimage of astonishment & awe. Several days a week, I make time to be in my studio at home. It’s a sacred space where I can make something simply for the sake of creation.

sm’s: What makes Bella Cucina products different from other pantry products found on market shelves?

AB: Bella Cucina makes over fifty different products:  from antipasti appetizers to our famous pestos, pasta sauces and dolci desserts.  Everything we produce is made by hand in small batches.  All our recipes start as experiments in my kitchen which I call  il laboratorio. It’s where all of the creations begin.

sm’s: What do people love about using Bella Cucina products?

AB: Simplicity is the new luxury. People want to eat and entertain and we try to  make it so easy.   With just a few simple ingredients and well-chosen serving plates, you can put out an impressive spread that will delight your guests with a feast for the senses.   There’s nothing to more do but linger around the table with good food and friends.

sm’s: Do you ever experience kitchen disasters like the rest of us?

AB: I’ve had too many recipe disasters to mention – everything from soggy granola to exploding oranges. But I’ve learned to just toss these failures in the trash and start over. Creativity is about risk-taking and experimentation.  Dare to falter every once in a while.

What do you love about what you do?

AB: I love shopping in farmer’s markets for inspiration and creating new products.  It is an artistic expression of my creativity.  When I create a recipe that really works and people are delighted with it and use it in their own way, and e-mail me HOW the used it in their kitchens, feeding their family, that carries a big reward, I just Love that part of my work. Hearing their stories and seeing the photos of their own creations.

Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee

sm’s: How would you sum up your aesthetic & design philosophy?

AB: Simplicity. Restraint. Beauty.

sm’s: What’s on the horizon for you/Bella Cucina?

AB: Another cookbook.  Its about how the act and art of cooking and eating can nourish us body, mind and spirit. How rituals make a mundane activity more meaningful. A habit made holy.

Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee

We so love these Bella Cucina goods, but what we appreciate even more is Alisa’s sentiments on lifestyle and savoring your surroundings and great company while dining. She definitely embodies that European way of living and we are fans! Thank you to Alisa for sharing so much about herself and Bella Cucina with our readers.

Be sure to check out her wonderful line of pantry items, and pick a few up for you and all those hostesses you’ll be visiting over the holidays next time you find yourself in the store… Our team will be happy to guide you toward one fantastic product or we can put together a delicious gift basket – either way, it’ll be ready to present when you leave the steve mckenzie’s showroom!

Think you’re too old to make a list for Santa?? Think again! The steve mckenzie’s Wish List program is here to save the holidays…

It’s so simple to do too! Simply visit our showroom, where you’ll be totally inspired by our beautiful furnishings, jewelry, accessories and so much more, and we’ll work with you to complete a simple wish list. Or, create an account on our website and begin pulling your steve mckenzie’s Wish List together there.

You’ll share who we should reach out to and what we should tell them you’d love as a holiday gift this year. It’s a win-win folks. Your loved ones will appreciate the ease with which they can gift you your greatest holiday desires and you’ll be sure to fall head-over-heels with a present from your loved one!

Be sure to encourage your friends and family to complete a steve mckenzie’s Wish List as well, so your holiday shopping will be done in the greatest of ease. Best of all – we offer complimentary gift wrapping, so your holiday to-do list will be a literal wrap when you leave the steve mckenzie’s showroom. Effortless we tell you, effortless!

And, while there’s an array of fabulous gift options in a wide range of price points, we also offer gift certificates, which your loved ones will surely appreciate!

Now’s the time to get to your Wish List and holiday shopping. We promise an unforgettable shopping experience here at steve mckenzie’s and we’ll work with even the biggest Scrooges out there to help put them in the holiday spirit!

Please join us in our showroom this weekend for the steve mckenzie’s Holiday Open House! We have extended hours for your convenience – we’re open until 7pm tonight and are now open Sundays (12-4pm) through the holidays, so there’s no excuse for you not to find the perfect gift!

See all the details of our fabulous Open House event and make plans to visit us this weekend:

And, we’ll even gift wrap your selections in signature steve mckenzie’s style… It’ll be all ready to gift, at no added cost. Be sure to RSVP for our Holiday Open House via this link to receive a special, in-store discount.

There are still a few spots left for our magnolia bouquet class tomorrow morning, so if you find yourself with a bit of time, do yourself a favor and join us for this fun and creative workshop!!

We’re so looking forward to this festive weekend and events and happenings at the steve mckenzie’s showroom and are thrilled to have our friend Mandy Rye of Waiting on Martha along for all this excitement – hope to see you in store soon too!!

Tis’ the season, we suppose… And we’re only busier from here! See steve mckenzie’s allover Atlanta this month. We’re out and about sharing our fabulous home accessories, art, holiday decor and more – make plans to see us soon!

Sneak Peek at the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Home for the Holiday Show House, opens Nov. 18th!

But, the first stop is one you can make right now to a recent post, where you can learn our top tips for creating and sending holiday cards, effortlessly. Be sure to enter the giveaway, which ends at midnight tonight!!

Next stop, Decatur, for the Decatur Art Walk:

Find Steve and his art at Trinity Mercantile onFriday, Nov. 4th from 5-9pm.
116 East Trinity Place / Decatur, GA

Next up is the Holiday Gift Show:

NMP Holiday Gift Show

Unique home accessories, gifts and more at the NMP Holiday Gift Show

  Friday, Nov. 11th, 9-4pm and Saturday, Nov. 12th, 9-4pm

Finally, we’re headed to West Elm Ponce City Market:

Meet Steve and see his NEW art prints and stationery

Sunday, Nov. 13th, 12-5pm

675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE

Phew! We already need a cocktail :-)) We’re so excited to be out and about through the month of November and hope to see you soon, wherever we may be!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family here at steve mckenzie’s to yours… Enjoy this special day with your loved ones!

We hope to see you in the showroom soon for all of your holiday gifting needs.

Aside from the family and friends you’ll be celebrating the holiday with this year, do you think about those out-of-the-box recipients who always fall to the end of the list to receive re-gifts, last-minute crafts, or are forgotten all together?

Be the envy of your group of friends this holiday and get it all together by checking out these potential gift recipients who you may want to include on your gift list this year:

• Mailman – they brave the rain, cold and Rufus to deliver your mail in a timely manner. A little something just might be in order.
• Hairdresser/barber – they fixed your at home perm and made you look ten years younger all with a new cut and color – a token of appreciation would surely be well received.

Blenko water bottles, available – with gift wrapping – at steve mckenzie’s, are currently on sale. Click the image for details.

• School teacher/nanny – you don’t have to be a Pinterest maven to gift your child’s teacher with a little something special… The thought alone will go a long way!
• Dog walker – they love your furry family members as much as you do, and they have to do the dirty work. Show them how much you appreciate their use of the pooper-scooper.

Our Pantone inspired “Marsala” vignette is full of fabulous gift options; see it at the steve mckenzie’s showroom for yourself!

• Doorman – you see them everyday, and they probably almost always help make that moment a little brighter with a smile. Give them a little something extra to smile about this holiday season.
• Clergy member – this is usually a very busy time of year for people of the church. Do a little something nice to show them thanks for all of the hard work.

Anyone would appreciate a beautiful ornament, such as this one by Eric Cortina, this time of year.

• Butcher/Florist/Baker, etc. – they meet your specific requests and go above and beyond to make you a satisfied customer. Show them you appreciate their professional attention.

As you can see, the list of potential gift recipients can be seemingly endless. Select those you have formed a very special relationship with, or who have really outdone themselves in the past year, and show them you recognize their efforts with a little something special for the holidays.

Gift suggestions range from an extra tip on your next service, a gift card, or even a handmade item, such as a jar of your famous peach preserves.

But, if you want to share something truly memorable, stop in to steve mckenzie’s today and let our team help select the perfect ornament, notebook, or other gift item – even a fantastic handmade card will help spread holiday cheer – that will show them how much you appreciate them!

You know those unique and beautiful ornaments you always treasured as you decorated your Christmas tree as a child? The ones that always stood out because they were a bit different, and maybe super fragile… Well, we’re here to share the Eric Cornina Collection of exquisite holiday ornaments with you, in hopes they will become those special pieces your family treasures and looks forward to enjoying every Christmas season, if not year round!

We reached out to *the* Eric behind the Eric Cortina Collection and asked him a bit about his one-of-a-kind ornament designs, and all that goes into being a creator of such prized pieces, which are so much more than simple Christmas tree adornments. Here’s what he had to share:

How did you decide to design Christmas ornaments? I had been traveling to Germany during the Christmas fair as buyer for Rogers Gardens and started suggesting designs and colorations to the factories I had been working with.  One year a customer requested an ornament with holly on it, so when I was in Germany the next year I designed an ornament just for her. It was Roger’s best selling design the following season. The factories suggested I should design a collection…so I followed their advice.  My goal was to create unique ornaments with a design driven approach. Do you have a favorite ornament you’ve created? I think every new design is my favorite.  I believe this might be true with every designer, what you are currently working on has your attention and is your favorite.  Looking back, I would have to say the “Bird in Nest” because it was the first design I created for my collection and it incorporated a multi mold concept which was new for the industry. Can you share just a bit about your design process – from inspiration, to determining materials, colors, textures, etc.? My inspiration comes from looking at the things around me every day.  I look at what I find interesting, what I see trending in design and what I think my clients would find intriguing.  I also look back on the past year to see what ornaments sold the best, and then try to evolve the collection from that point. I always try to push what the design can be by adding new techniques and materials.  What’s the most unique holiday ornament you’ve ever designed? I would have to say the Crown Finial, which is constructed from five molds joined together to create the crown tree topper.  The factory actually went to the local University math department to figure out the dimensions for the design.  Glass shrinks when it cools, so the factory found that the crown initially would crack from the cooling process.  The math department figured out the correct proportions for the design to work and it is still one of our most iconic ornaments.  What are some of the more unique ways you’ve seen people using your ornaments for the holidays? Ornaments are not just for trees! People are decorating their chandeliers with them, placing them on book shelves and also displaying them under glass domes as pieces of art.  Many people will purchase an ornament because it reminds them of an event or a moment from their life, and some will keep those ornaments displayed all year round. Do you ever think of specific people when designing an ornament? Perhaps a friend, family member, or even a celebrity? I definitely design not only from my own interests but also for people I know.  Every ornament has a personal story, or is designed with a friend in mind.  A best friend’s cat, a new born baby and even a coworker who loves flamingos have inspired some of my designs. What kind of traditions do you and your family recognize when it comes to ornaments? I can remember our ornaments more than any other objects from my childhood.  I was not raised in a wealthy family, but I thought our two boxes of ornaments were the most beautiful possession we had.  I think many people don’t realize the impact the holidays have on children and how keeping those traditions alive for the future is so important.

If these ornaments, and Eric’s story, don’t inspire you to get to decorating your Christmas tree, we don’t know what will! We invite you to visit the steve mckenzie’s showroom and see these fabulous little works of art for yourself. We guarantee, you’ll find something perfect for yourself and quite possibly as a gift as well! Thank you so much to Eric for sharing the secrets to his ornament designs, and why they mean so much to him.

Archives Select Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013