I understand that we have busy lives, and a lot of the time this “rushed feeling” carries over into our dinners. My wish is that your weekly Enni meal becomes an evening in which you take a little more time at your table to socialize, enjoy the moment, and hopefully love what you’re eating.

To assist with this, I include a Menu Letter with your dinner. This gives you any reheating or serving instructions, but it also gives you some entertainment because my other passion is writing. Each letter contains a story and many times a photo. Some are meant to inspire you, some to teach you something about an ingredient or dish or culture, and some simply to make you laugh.

Here’s a taste…

Walk down old cobblestone streets in Italy as the day winds down, and you might see a wooden table and chairs that were pulled out of someone’s home and placed right onto the street. It’s a heavenly sight.

I guarantee whatever food is going on that table would make you swoon, and the occupants of those chairs plan on sitting there well into the night, perfecting the art of lingering. When I decided on the phrase “pleasure at the table” for my business, it is this kind of scene that was the inspiration.

The word for table in Italian is “il tavolo,” however, most Americans know it as “la tavola.” What’s the difference? “Un tavolo” refers to a table simply as a piece of furniture. As soon as food is put on that table and people gather around, it magically turns into “una tavola.” 

When I first learned this, two thoughts came to my mind. Firstly, what an interesting concept this is. Secondly, this is precisely why I adore those beautifully crazy, food obsessed Italians!

Sharing a meal with others is not an act they perform on their way to some other event, like a dinner and a show. They’re not going anywhere after, unless it’s to another meal, because for them the meal IS the event. And it’s so important and special that it can transform a surface into something that needs a whole different name. It’s not just the presence of food that matters, but also that conversation, laughter, ambience, and caring are added as well.

Now that’s a thing of beauty.