Pepper shaker calendar to benefit center for abuse, neglected children
- 12/10/09
- Categorized in: Business, DeKalb News
Think of them as pepper mills, but Sandro Romagnoli has found a way to turn an ordinary kitchen gadget into a vehicle that could benefit abused and neglected children.
Romagnoli,the owner of FIGO Pasta, has introduced the restaurant’s first calendar, which features its signature brightly colored pepper shakers on each page. The shakers are actually used in the restaurant’s eight locations as devices to identify which order goes to which customers.
Twenty-eight of the distinctively designed shakers are the focus of FIGO’s first calendar, which sell for $9 each, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Protection Center. The center works to identify, assess and prevent child abuse and neglect in Atlanta.
“We live in a crazy world, and I think child abuse, whether physical or psychological, is among the worst crimes,” said Romagnoli. “It is a huge problem of which we mainly hear when it is so bad that it becomes newsworthy. It is a difficult subject to talk about.
Romagnoli, who hails from Certaldo, Italy, said too often people “simply turn and look away. I think people have the tendency to help and try to make a difference in areas and for charities that ‘sound good’ and are easier to talk about.”
“When I found out what the Child Protection Center does to help prevent [child abuse] and treat victims of child abuse right here in Atlanta, I immediately knew that it was the organization I wanted to work with,” he added.
Romagnoli said he hopes the calendar sales lead to a $2,000 donation to the center.
At a tasting lunch to introduce new dishes to the media last week, Romagnoli explained that the pepper shakers were the idea of his sister who’s an artist. Each shaker is hand painted and decorated with unique designs by restaurant staff.
The seven-year-old restaurant has added eight new items to its menu including a gluten-free fusili, fried rice balls filled with mozzarella cheese, a panini with spicy Italic sausage and bell peppers and a Tuscan-style wild boar sauce. It prides itself on offering 544 combinations of pastas and sauces.
The calendars, which come with three pages of FIGO coupons–12 coupons in all, are on sale now supplies last at all of its restaurants. FIGO’s Decatur location is at 627 E. College Avenue.
More information on the calendars can be found at www.figopasta.com or by calling (404) 373-2121.
