Reservation for 30, Per Favore


I've become so accustomed to dining in the presence of artists, that I forget how interesting it is. When the group gets together on Thursday nights for the restaurant dinners (as opposed to the Tuesday night buffet and artist talk), we often have long tables covered with paper table "cloths."  If the tablecloths are not paper, these kids find other ways of expressing themselves with pen, pencil or crayon.

Sometimes they draw each other, sometimes elaborate "hand turkeys," sometimes just the surrounding neighborhood. I sat across from a student whose final project is going to be signage, so she practiced drawing all the signs around us, which were many because our tables were on a busy shopping street.

This is how we were greeted—a big surprise because this restaurant has very limited outdoor seating, under an arch, so we usually have to be split up. They had blocked off part of the street with potted trees and created an additional outdoor dining area for us.


For years, we interpreted a sentence on the menu to mean, "food like your grandmother used to make." But tonight we learned Nonna really does make the food!  And here she is (top left, in case it's not obvious!).


I took only one photo of one student's artwork, but following are other photos of this night, which Fred asked me to take because my camera is better than his—at night, especially.


Charlotte loves the students and they, her,
but she was particularly drawn to Natalie.
I wonder why? :)












Carlo. He's the man.

Dino drawing.

Shelby, the signage expert!













Ciao, Bella!