Hi.
I'm Savannah, my family calls me Vanni. My Dad and Pop-Pop would say, call me anything you want, but don't call me late to dinner.
When I was a kid I planned out this restaurant called Elephants on Vine with my parents. It was going to be a gourmet PB&J sandwich place. We all dream of this kind of stuff, everyone has the thing that they'd do if they could. I have a couple hundred, but I always come back to Elephants on Vine.
The plan was to open the place on a Vine Street. Any Vine Street! I grew up near Philadelphia, and I knew of at least two vine streets back then. Looking back, neither was ever really an option to set up shop on, but I was about 10. We listened to talk radio a lot and I remember fondly the traffic updates talking about "Traffic is stopped up on the Vine Street Expressway this morning" I can't do it justice, but the cadence that those voices had still relaxes me just imagining it.
Little me would think "oh no. Dad's in Traffic," because wherever they were talking about was where my dad was driving. Naturally. But I like that he was in traffic secretly. I knew that he was the best driver out there, but I still didn't like that cars could be in accidents. It didn't plague my little brain, but I preferred the thought that everyone was just sitting still out there.
My Dad was where the peanut butter came into play. If dogs could talk, mine would have tried to take my father to court for hogging the peanut butter.
But this man is not one to limit himself to the traditions of society. Peanut butter was not just for white bread sandwiches. Potato bread, specifically potato bread hot dog rolls, are probably the ideal vessels to convey the proper (in my father's opinion) peanut butter to bread ratio, from the cupboard to one's mouth.
Jelly was more my mom's thing. Actually Jam. She would tell us before we went to the store, "Don't get jelly, jam is better. Check to make sure." We'd say, "Got it!" confidently and kiss her goodbye while blissfully making jokes with my siblings, and generally not paying detailed attention to our "list".
Everyone else in the household knew, when me and my dad went shopping, the house was about to be full up with good food. We are great at big picture, especially when that picture is tied to the emotions of our loved ones. We like traditions that involve warm feelings, and belly laughs. We tell the same stories over and over because they're our favorites. AND we buy "Gallant food," things that we feel personally attached to because "that's what we get." The list includes things like Taylor Pork Roll, Stroehmann Family-sized bread, frozen lemonade, and a few other things we'll get to in just a moment! Naturally, sending us two to the store could sometimes be a source of slight worry for the more logically centered remainder of the family, but the thing they could be assured of was that everyone would have good food and feelings about it when we came home!
But we probably forgot to get the cream of celery soup.
I remember things like Entenmann's baked goods, particularly their chocolate covered donuts and their raspberry danish were my mom's favorite. We liked macintosh apples and loved bananas, peas and onions were a huge deal in our dinners, and I always wanted oranges or cherries (but cherries became my Fruit Truck guy treat for the beach - a story for this summer). My big sister loved Reese's Cups and cheese, both sisters were fans of Apple juice, and we always got Skippy Peanut Butter and Welch's Jelly or Jam. The jelly that came in glasses with cartoons on it was our favorite. After we finished the jar off our mom would wash it out and it would become a new glass for us to drink out of. Being one of three daughters, I enjoyed getting to pick out which characters I liked so that I would be able to say "I'd like the Tigger glass please" before my sisters could snag it.
So we were a PB&J kind of family, and that was pretty cool to me. I was a little girl obsessed with watching Alton Brown's Good Eats, and Unwrapped with Marc Summers on the Food Network. I had big dreams of becoming a chef.
But I kind of forgot.
I mean, I guess I chose what I thought was rational. Public Relations, knowing what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to- that was what I was already kind of good at. Plus it was apparently about to be booming when I was applying for college. After four years I graduated Cum Laude with three minors- all relating to people- and a hope that I could help other college students enjoy their experience the way I did. Now, I "live in" as an Area Coordinator (the person who supervises the RAs and makes sure that everyone is safe and learning in the halls) and on the weekends I bake bread, watch Cutthroat Kitchen (Starring Alton Brown's brilliant, hilarious mind) and try my hand at creative interesting meal prep for the week. I also love all kinds of art, science, and hilarity, so I want to blend my passions and see what we can come up with.
You can expect everything from recipes and reviews to pachyderms and pith.
I think I'm funny, so I apologize now for any terrible jokes. I will be proud of them later, constantly.
With that, welcome to Elephants on Vine: A nutty idea that's growing everyday.
Love,
Vanni
Post Script-
I want to thank my biggest supporter in the entire world for encouraging me through this. Genuinely, to turn my thoughts into a blog was her idea. She is my spirit guide, my rock, and my best friend. Love you Mom! And big hugs to the Peanut Butter Fiend himself, Tommy G. This blog, and everything I do, is because my family encouraged me, but especially this work. I'm far away from them right now, and they've still been helping me fulfill my dreams with long brainstorming sessions, and letters about life.
So, as though this is a book, I dedicate this work to: Maureen, Tom, Maura, Lauren, Jack and Mary.
I'm Savannah, my family calls me Vanni. My Dad and Pop-Pop would say, call me anything you want, but don't call me late to dinner.
When I was a kid I planned out this restaurant called Elephants on Vine with my parents. It was going to be a gourmet PB&J sandwich place. We all dream of this kind of stuff, everyone has the thing that they'd do if they could. I have a couple hundred, but I always come back to Elephants on Vine.
The plan was to open the place on a Vine Street. Any Vine Street! I grew up near Philadelphia, and I knew of at least two vine streets back then. Looking back, neither was ever really an option to set up shop on, but I was about 10. We listened to talk radio a lot and I remember fondly the traffic updates talking about "Traffic is stopped up on the Vine Street Expressway this morning" I can't do it justice, but the cadence that those voices had still relaxes me just imagining it.
Little me would think "oh no. Dad's in Traffic," because wherever they were talking about was where my dad was driving. Naturally. But I like that he was in traffic secretly. I knew that he was the best driver out there, but I still didn't like that cars could be in accidents. It didn't plague my little brain, but I preferred the thought that everyone was just sitting still out there.
My Dad was where the peanut butter came into play. If dogs could talk, mine would have tried to take my father to court for hogging the peanut butter.
But this man is not one to limit himself to the traditions of society. Peanut butter was not just for white bread sandwiches. Potato bread, specifically potato bread hot dog rolls, are probably the ideal vessels to convey the proper (in my father's opinion) peanut butter to bread ratio, from the cupboard to one's mouth.
Jelly was more my mom's thing. Actually Jam. She would tell us before we went to the store, "Don't get jelly, jam is better. Check to make sure." We'd say, "Got it!" confidently and kiss her goodbye while blissfully making jokes with my siblings, and generally not paying detailed attention to our "list".
Everyone else in the household knew, when me and my dad went shopping, the house was about to be full up with good food. We are great at big picture, especially when that picture is tied to the emotions of our loved ones. We like traditions that involve warm feelings, and belly laughs. We tell the same stories over and over because they're our favorites. AND we buy "Gallant food," things that we feel personally attached to because "that's what we get." The list includes things like Taylor Pork Roll, Stroehmann Family-sized bread, frozen lemonade, and a few other things we'll get to in just a moment! Naturally, sending us two to the store could sometimes be a source of slight worry for the more logically centered remainder of the family, but the thing they could be assured of was that everyone would have good food and feelings about it when we came home!
But we probably forgot to get the cream of celery soup.
I remember things like Entenmann's baked goods, particularly their chocolate covered donuts and their raspberry danish were my mom's favorite. We liked macintosh apples and loved bananas, peas and onions were a huge deal in our dinners, and I always wanted oranges or cherries (but cherries became my Fruit Truck guy treat for the beach - a story for this summer). My big sister loved Reese's Cups and cheese, both sisters were fans of Apple juice, and we always got Skippy Peanut Butter and Welch's Jelly or Jam. The jelly that came in glasses with cartoons on it was our favorite. After we finished the jar off our mom would wash it out and it would become a new glass for us to drink out of. Being one of three daughters, I enjoyed getting to pick out which characters I liked so that I would be able to say "I'd like the Tigger glass please" before my sisters could snag it.
So we were a PB&J kind of family, and that was pretty cool to me. I was a little girl obsessed with watching Alton Brown's Good Eats, and Unwrapped with Marc Summers on the Food Network. I had big dreams of becoming a chef.
But I kind of forgot.
I mean, I guess I chose what I thought was rational. Public Relations, knowing what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to- that was what I was already kind of good at. Plus it was apparently about to be booming when I was applying for college. After four years I graduated Cum Laude with three minors- all relating to people- and a hope that I could help other college students enjoy their experience the way I did. Now, I "live in" as an Area Coordinator (the person who supervises the RAs and makes sure that everyone is safe and learning in the halls) and on the weekends I bake bread, watch Cutthroat Kitchen (Starring Alton Brown's brilliant, hilarious mind) and try my hand at creative interesting meal prep for the week. I also love all kinds of art, science, and hilarity, so I want to blend my passions and see what we can come up with.
You can expect everything from recipes and reviews to pachyderms and pith.
I think I'm funny, so I apologize now for any terrible jokes. I will be proud of them later, constantly.
With that, welcome to Elephants on Vine: A nutty idea that's growing everyday.
Love,
Vanni
Post Script-
I want to thank my biggest supporter in the entire world for encouraging me through this. Genuinely, to turn my thoughts into a blog was her idea. She is my spirit guide, my rock, and my best friend. Love you Mom! And big hugs to the Peanut Butter Fiend himself, Tommy G. This blog, and everything I do, is because my family encouraged me, but especially this work. I'm far away from them right now, and they've still been helping me fulfill my dreams with long brainstorming sessions, and letters about life.
So, as though this is a book, I dedicate this work to: Maureen, Tom, Maura, Lauren, Jack and Mary.
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