Etsy Metal Blog Carnival – Ethnicity

March is Irish-American month, you may not be Irish, so tell us who you are. What are customs you grew up with, foods you eat, how your ethnicity may influence your work.

My parents, Sophie and Gus

I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. Both my parents were Greek. They were both born in the U.S., but my father didn't learn English until he went to school. His parents lived with us and I don't recall that they spoke English at all. 

My father's parents owned a restaurant in downtown Youngstown called Hermes. It left us with restaurant-size pots and pans and dishes. Cooking and food were pretty important – eating, as well as for socializing, and my father cooked a lot, too. I remember coming home and my mother and father were huddled over the stove frying big slices of zucchini. I remember how bad I thought that smelled then! We had a huge backyard and my grandparents and parents had an incredible garden filled with vegetables and fruit trees.

Before I was born, my grandmother had a still in the basement and made her own ouzo, (my mom had to stand at the top of the stairs and be the lookout) and there were also big wine barrels and accessories for making their own wine. 
When I was little, I remember serving guests small glasses of ouzo on a small black tray with flowers painted on it.

My mother made the whole gamut of Greek food, pastichio, moussaka, spanakopita, avgolemono... and let's not forget the pastries - baklava, koulourakia, trigona, galatoboureko...

Baklava

The Chengelis Family My mother's family; her mother, Kiriakitsa (my yiayia); my mother standing in front of her; not sure who the man with the dark hair and mustache is; my grandfather, Konstandino; my mother's twin sisters, Helen and Aspasia (Bessie), and her brother, Phillip.

 My paternal grandmother used to read fortunes in the grounds of turkish coffee and she kept a jar of leeches on the window sill, in case anyone got sick. She also had small pieces of wood that were supposed to be pieces of the real cross. Up in the attic I found old wooden icons of saints. Me and my brother and sister each had our own small icon that we would keep by our bedside and at night before we went to sleep we would do the sign of the cross and kiss the icon. I don't know, superstitions, rituals,traditions... yes, they have all influenced my art. I have made jewelry representing evil eye amulets by chasing and enameling metal.

My father's mother, Penelope, and her brother, Paul.

My father in the middle and his father, (my papou) on the right, Lambros (Louis)

I am working on a series based on icons, using old photos of my family.

Check here to see what other Etsy Metal members have written about this topic:
Laney 
2Roses
Laura Jane Bouton