Antonio Valente Flowers

"Boys don't play with flowers!" Those crushing words, uttered by an elementary school principal, devastated Antonio Valente, who was then in grade two. He had been asked by his teacher to draw a picture of his future career and when it became apparent that young Antonio wanted to be a florist, his dream was shut down with a mocking chuckle.

But dreams have a funny way of growing back, much like the flowers Antonio now harvests and arranges and sells from his home in Thornhill, Ontario, just north of Toronto.

On just a half acre of land, Antonio grows tulips, ranunculus, peonies, zinnias, scabiosa, foxglove, snapdragons, asters, roses, cosmos, larkspur, poppies, dahlias, phlox and ornamental cabbage - filling dozens of orders a week from florists around the greater Toronto area. All of the flowers are picked and packed by Antonio and delivered, in person, in his pickup truck.

I first discovered Antonio on Instagram, where he has thousands of followers from around the world. I only recently discovered that Antonio had been reading this blog for years and had affiliations with some florist friends of mine in Toronto! I was so curious to know more about him and his business and wanted very much to do a feature on him.

Florists adore Antonio's friendly nature, his passion for his flowers and his seasonal selection. "Antonio arrived at the shop with his pickup truck filled with pails of the most gorgeous summer blooms," writes the owner of Periwinkle Flowers, a Toronto-based flower shop. "The girls and I promptly fell in love with both Antonio and his beautiful flowers and we would wait in eager anticipation for every week's delivery."

It's the kind of testimonial Antonio doesn't take for granted, but he knows what makes his business special. He is one of the 'little guys' on the scene but his business has several factors that set him apart from the crowd. He grows primarily heirloom varieties or flowers that are pollinator-friendly: alluring features for florists who care about the quality of their flowers and where they come from. His farming operation happens on just a half acre of land and Antonio uses sustainable methods to plant, grow and harvest his plants.

Antonio was good enough to answer a few questions for Martha Moments about his business.

With just a half acre of property to farm, how do you decide what flowers to grow? Is it based on popularity and demand, or is the decision based on what you love to grow?

It’s a little bit of both. I absolutely need to grow what’s in demand and popular; at the end of the day my flowers need to sell. Having said that however, I don’t grow anything that is both popular AND available from larger scale growers or wholesale markets; I just can’t compete on pricing there. I also need to grow what I love. If a grower isn’t loving what they’re growing, they’re likely to neglect it during the height of the hectic growing season and that can lead to lost revenue. And on only half an acre, I can’t have that! Every square foot needs to be productive.

Are there any flowers you do not grow but would like to? 

I would love to grow high quality sweet peas, but the climate here in southern Ontario is very continental. It goes from being very cold to being very hot in a relatively short span of time. Sweet peas do best where there is a long, drawn out spring. The season here is just too short for a profitable sweet pea crop. I’ll save them for when I have a greenhouse or multiple acres of land.

Since we are a four-season climate in Ontario, what do you do to sustain your business during the fall and winter months? 

It’s a little known fact that I substitute teach during the winter months. Yup, once upon a time the plan was to become a teacher. I graduated from teacher’s college in 2009. The economy at the time was in a dismal state and landing a full time teaching job was nearly impossible. I was eventually hired as a substitute teacher, but warned that securing a permanent contract could be anywhere from 7 to 10 years down the road. Facing the reality of precarious employment as a substitute teacher, I had to be creative and find an additional means of paying the bills. It was either head back into landscaping, which I had done throughout university, or grow even more cut flowers, which I had already been doing for myself, and hope to sell them throughout the summer at local farmers’ markets.

If you could wave a magic wand and create your perfect flower business, what do you think it would look like and what would be your role?

I think my perfect flower business would be one where I could bring beautiful varieties of flowers to a larger audience and a more mainstream public, both in the form of cut flowers as well as inspire people to grow their own beautiful gardens. People are tired of white hydrangeas laden with chemicals! There’s a real need in the Canadian market for certain varieties of cut flowers. The floristry style today is very different than it was years ago. The look today is more garden-inspired, and reminiscent of 17th century Dutch still life paintings. I have designers contacting me all the time wishing to source my product, but I honestly cannot currently meet the demand. It’s overwhelming, but also very flattering. As for what my role would be? Ummm wait, you mean I could possibly have a single role one day?! I can’t even imagine what that would look like! Right now, that would be an absolute luxury!

Instagram has obviously helped leverage your visibility and profile, but is there a website in the works?

Yes! I need to get on that. EVERYONE around me has been on my back about it! You’ll all be happy to know that I did recently purchase a domain name, so I am one step closer. You know, each spring I actually use Kijiji to sell dahlia tubers! It’ll be nice to sell them from my own website one day. So, if there’s no website by next spring, look no further than Kijiji for some pretty awesome dahlia varieties!

Who have been some of your mentors and teachers in this enterprise?

My father and grandfather were excellent gardeners. Gardening must be in my blood as they had the most amazing gardens and I attribute much of my passion to them. I also grew up admiring many Canadian gardeners in the media like Mark Cullen and Marjorie Harris, and, of course, Martha Stewart!

I know you enjoy reading this blog and anything to do with Martha Stewart. What is it about Martha that inspires you?

Yes, I love your blog! It’s such a pleasure to read, by the way. I can remember when I first discovered Martha. She was this woman on tv doing all the things that I also loved to do. Being a young boy and having an appreciation for gardening and collecting antiques wasn’t very “cool,” but Martha continued to be such an inspiration and source of creativity. I think in many ways Martha did what I would like to continue to do with my flowers – bring a little bit of beauty to people’s everyday lives.

I know it's like asking a mom to choose a favourite child, but do you have a favourite flower?

Definitely dahlias! Evidently I have no problem choosing between children! They were the first flower I ever grew for the purpose of cutting, so they’ll always hold a special place in my heart. As for the flowers I have in my home, they’re always changing with the seasons. That’s the nice thing about choosing seasonal flowers; each flower variety gets its shot at the limelight.

Finally, what would you say to that principal who told you that boys don't play with flowers? 

I would just give him a locally- and organically-grown bouquet from Antonio Valente Flowers!

Until Antonio gets his website, please follow him on Instagram @antoniovalenteflowers

Golden Age Botanicals

I met Kathryn Bondy about eight years ago when we were both working at Anthropologie. Kathryn was the display coordinator at our store and was responsible for making all those magnificent window displays and installations that every fan of Anthropologie falls in love with. She and I became friends and when she left the company several years ago she embarked on a new endeavor, one that I knew would be successful.

Kathryn, who is based in Toronto, started her own Etsy shop, Golden Age Botanicals, which proffers her beautiful paper creations: lifelike flowers and botanicals made entirely by hand and entirely out of paper. I asked Kathryn to tell us about the genesis of her business and what inspires her.

What made you want to start Golden Age Botanicals? 
It initially started as a partnership with a friend, but over time it became a project of my own. I needed a place to make work at the pace I wanted, paying attention to details that I had otherwise been told were a waste of time. I've been lucky to have some wonderful creative jobs in the past, but they also came with a breakneck pace I felt obligated to adopt in order to feel like I was doing my job effectively. You miss out on a lot when you move too fast!

Golden Age allows me to study and honour nature in a way that is meditative, where my instincts and curiosity guide me completely, and I can venerate the smallest of details that nature so nimbly produces. I wanted to share that love with others too. I'm also a florist, and my favourite thing is talking about flowers with other florists and flower appreciators: the way a rose fades as it ages, the tissue paper layers of a ranunculus, watching a poppy crack open from its bristly bud.   

What is the significance of the name? 

Golden Age Botanicals refers to the Dutch Golden Age, an era of still life and flower painting in Dutch history that focused on capturing in heightened realism the beauty and impermanence of nature. Initially the idea was to recreate these painted elements in paper, which is why I also create hand sculpted fruit, insects and animals. But now I think of it as a broader study of all the different ways we use flowers to speak for us, the language of nature and how we use it to speak for us and to each other. 

What inspires your work? 

Dutch Golden Age painters, especially Rachael Ruysch and Balthasar van der Ast, floral designers, botanical studies and scientific drawings and prints, Emily Dickinson (especially her herbarium) and Victorian flower language, and medicinal plant knowledge and history.

I'm also very inspired by flowers in general. Designing with flowers teaches me a lot about composition, lines, and colour, and how to let the natural shape of individual pieces direct a final form. That has taught me to always try working from a live model when creating a paper piece.

I try to spend some time in local greenhouses and neighbourhood gardens, and I spend a lot of time researching types of flowers and their place in history. Right now I'm reading a book about David Austin roses and the history of garden rose breeding, it's fascinating! 

Who do you consider to be your mentors in this craft? 

I rely on Instagram a lot to stay connected with paper flower artists. I am especially inspired by Tiffanie Turner, Jennifer Tran, Ann Wood and Lynn Dolan. Thuss & Farrell's book Paper to Petal was the first I had ever seen about paper flowers, beyond what I came across in vintage home crafting books. I also work closely with a few floral designers in Toronto that have taught me so much about how to work with flowers, and that feeds pretty directly into my paper work.

What would be a dream commission?

Probably creating something just for Saipua or a series of garden roses for David Austin (could I ever do them justice?) But I also especially love requests for special pieces to give as gifts, I would like to do more of that too! 

ANDREW'S BOTANICALS

I was so smitten with Kathryn's work that I felt I needed to invest in a couple of pieces of my own. Below are photographs of two of Kathryn's works in my home. I love how they look and I know that I will cherish them for decades to come. Please visit Kathryn's Etsy shop to explore more of her work!

I knew I needed these hellebores the moment I saw them in her shop. It is one of my favourite flowers and the way Kathryn had situated them in that beautifully-tarnished cup with the moss was just too much to resist. It sits on my dining room hutch under a collection of wall-mounted plates and prints with similar botanical references. It looks perfect there!

The detail in Kathryn's work is utterly beautiful. Every surface is considered and done to perfection.

I loved the graphic nature of this mounted paper pear with blossoms. I had to have it. It's so striking and bold: very much like a Dutch painting. I have it hanging next to the wooden mirror over my dresser in my bedroom. Every time I wake up and get dressed I get to have a good look at it. It's become part of my daily routine!

Again, every single detail is considered. 

A Visit to Li-Lac Chocolates in New York City

Caterer David Bondarchuck and I have quite a few things in common. We were both married in my hometown of Ottawa, Canada; we both love Martha Stewart and have each been guests on her television show; and we both love chocolate! On a recent trip to New York City, David arranged to tour the facilities at Li-Lac Chocolates, an American firm that has been making chocolates in New York since 1923 - the oldest chocolate house in Manhattan. David's attraction to the establishment, aside from his interest in all kinds of food production and presentation, was given a healthy boost when he learned that Martha has been a client of theirs for many years. Li-Lac Chocolates is one of Martha's "American Made" honorees and their brand was featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine this past April. Other well-known clients include Andy Cohen, Sarah Jessica Parker and Isaac Mizrahi. I was pleased when David generously offered to take photographs of his tour of the facility for this blog. I hope you enjoy this journey through their production facility! Thank you, David, for taking the time to provide us with this inside look. (David Bondarchuck is a caterer in Denver, Colorado. Click here to visit his website and learn more about his services.)

Their iconic lilac logo is shown at the entrance to their production facility at 68 35th Street in Brooklyn. The company was founded in 1923 by George Demetrious, a Greek chocolatier trained in Paris who immigrated to the U.S. and opened a small chocolate shop in Greenwich Village, which is still in operation today.

Beyond the retail space is the production and assembly area. Shown in this photograph is the area where caramels and fillings are created. Beyond this area are large vats of chocolate which are skillfully tempered. Everything at Li-Lac is done by hand, making it very labor-intensive. All of the chocolate and confection recipes, by the way, are original to the firm and are closely-guarded!

 A sheet of poured caramel awaits its use as filling for various kinds of chocolates.

This is a large vat where the caramel is kept warm and stirred until it can be poured out for cutting and filling.

This antique scale dates from the early 1920s when the facility first opened. It is still used today, nearly 100 years later!

Christopher Taylor and Anthony Cirone are the current owners of Li-Lac chocolates. (They also happen to be a married couple!)

The collection of chocolate molds housed at Li-Lac is the largest collection in the United States. These ones are used primarily for chocolates with nut centers.

This strawberry chocolate mold was recently emptied.

There are aisles and aisles of chocolate molds - many of them antique - stored and organized by type, shape and size in plastic bins on metal racks.

In this area, a worker prepares to make chocolate-covered ginger.

The candied ginger is put onto a conveyer belt and sent through a machine that coats them with melted dark chocolate. They are then manually sorted into parchment-lined bins.

David said this process reminded him of the iconic chocolate-factory scene from the "I Love Lucy" show.

These chocolates look mouth-watering! Any imperfections on the chocolates are smoothed out by hand with tempered chocolate and various tools.

Li-Lac has a number of very high-profile clients that require custom-made chocolate designs for their events and public-relations, a challenge that the company happily and excitedly accepts. These diamond-shaped chocolates were for an event for De Beers.

Chocolate lipsticks for an event for Estee Lauder Cosmetics. These examples are fresh out of the custom-made mold. Their rough edges will be smoothed by hand. They will eventually be placed into individual lipstick boxes and given out as favors at the event.

This handmade tool has a very specific purpose: to smooth out any rough edges or visible joinery on molded chocolate shapes.

Polka-dot white chocolate pumps? Of course! Li-Lac caters to many clients with very specific desires: parties, weddings, corporate events.

A giant chocolate ring for Tiffany's.

This is the packaging area where the finished chocolates are wrapped and tied with ribbon before being sent out to the clients or to the Li-Lac retail locations in Greenwich Village on 8th Avenue in Manhattan and in Grand Central Market at 43rd Street and Lexington.

Each confection is wrapped by hand and tied with pretty ribbon.

More examples of their creations in the staging area: chocolate turkeys!

A variety of chocolates all awaiting final inspection.

These chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs are a favourite of Martha's. Each year she orders large batches of them for her annual Easter party. These were all made in chocolate molds that date back to the early 1900s.

Here they are pictured in the April, 2015, issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. They range in height from three inches to 17 inches! Also shown are their hazelnut truffle squares and French mint bars.

If you are in Manhattan and would like to visit Li-Lac Chocolates click here for hours of operation and locations.

Meet the Flora Forager

Bridget Beth Collins lives in a Hobbit-like home in the quiet borough of Ravenna in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two sons. At least once a day Bridget ventures out into the surrounding wilderness (or her own small front garden) to forage for flora and fauna, which she then arranges into captivating compositions for photographs. If it sounds like she lives a beautiful life, she does. I think the images she creates are proof of her unyielding imagination and constant search for beauty. Bridget's work has been featured in several publications, including the cover of a new gardening magazine called Pith + Vigor, which you can see below. She sells her prints for $22 each at her website FloraForager.com, where you can also see much more of her work. I also strongly suggest you follow her on Instagram for a daily dose of loveliness. Her photos are the perfect antidote to the winter blues.