The Maurella Collection
Two Italys exist for me. There is the Italy of honeymoon dreams with beautiful coastlines, simple rustic cuisine, aromatic wines, and intimate dinners. Then there is the Italy of immigration: a way-station for my family, Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union, seeking a new life in the United States. In Italy, we waited for a chance to call America home. All the while my parents, grandparents - and even my great-grandmother - worked in labor, construction, cleaning homes, and enjoying the delicacies of McDonald’s fries. The only Italy we could afford. In the not-so-graceful moments of immigration, Italy was also where dreams of a brighter future felt tangible for the first time and the reality of escape from the Soviet regime set in.
My great-grandmother standing in front of our residence in Italy on our immigration journey.
I was two years old in Italy. We lived there for six months, citizens of no place. My grandmother still reminds me these days “We made this journey for your future”. I don’t think any one of them imagined I’d grasp the American dream of creating my destiny by being a business owner.
Opening ws-fiori is a dream of bringing the elegance of our custom events to everyone.
“Maurella” was our first home outside the Soviet Union.
It feels right to honor my - and my family’s - journey in this new venture.
Photography Credit: Lamb Photography @lamb-photo | Kayla Duffin Photography @kayladuffinphotography | Venue: Warehouse on the Canal @warehouseonthecanal