Welcome to Our Kitchen!!!
This is where our journey begins.
Get to know our business and what we do, and how we're committed to quality and great service.
Join us as we grow and succeed together.
We're glad you're here to be a part of our story.
Why are we called "La Superba"? ... because we come from Genova!
Genova is a city in the Liguria Region, in Northern Italy, and Genova itself was known by this name, as it was a great maritime power.
Obviously we who called ourselves "La Superba" want to maintain a much more modest profile!...;) Without a trace of haughtiness or superiority in the choice of our name, rather it was intended as a simple tribute to our city.
A bit of history ... for over eight centuries, from 1099 to 1815, the Republic of Genova was one of the most prosperous Italian Maritime Republics (note well! Italy as a nation was born well after the glorious times of Superba!). She was called the Superb (La Superba) because, as her motto repeats, she does not recognize any other power above herself.
Extraordinary city, crossroads of the Mediterranean, where Europe, Asia and Africa meet and merge, its unique peculiarity is an intricate historic centre, a labyrinth of light and shadow, now a UNESCO heritage site.
But it wasn't us ( Genoese people) who called ourselves that, La Superba!...but rather the very famous (at least for us Italians!) supreme poet Petrarch. Renaissance poet and one of the first Humanists, Petrarch stayed in Genoa and could not help but notice the magnificence of the city, sandwiched between the infinite vastness of the sea and the grandeur of the mountains.
He wrote, quoting: "Vedrai una città regale, addossata ad una collina alpestre, superba per uomini e per mura, il cui aspetto la indica signora del mare".
"You will see a regal city, leaning against an alpine hill, proud for its men and walls, whose appearance indicates it as the mistress of the sea".
With this the Poet wanted to refer to the value of the people, of the famous Genoese Sailors, (but let's not forget our strong and independent Women!), and of its particular location, a strip of land between the mountains and the sea, with a historic center that it constituted an impenetrable defense for the city.
And, if you still want to read a little chat about our City, or better about a funny fact, before arriving here in the United States I was sure that Genoa was famous if not for its illustrious past as Queen of the Seas then at least because it is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus... of which no one in Genoa is particularly proud, but that's another story!
... Instead I met almost no one who had ever even heard of Genoa, in fact only my son's history teacher, to be honest! ... but okay I'll try to fix it by putting a map so as to place Genoa somewhere in Northern Italy!
Have you noticed?!...Our Flag is dramatically similar (exactly the same) to the English one ... Because it is the English one that is the same as Ours!!! There are no certain sources regarding actual contracts that provided for an annual payment of rent, even if historians have worked a lot on this fact... However, it would seem that the Ancient England of King Richard the Lionheart had asked permission from the Republic of Genoa to carry its flag to navigate safely in the Mediterranean ... Then it is lost in myth and legend why they continued to carry these colors ... And wave them as their own ... Certainly, the red cross on a white background is the standard of San Giorgio... But... to Us it seems strange that it is a coincidence... Given that until the sixteenth century (1500) it was a historically established fact that Genoa was the Greatest Power in the Mediterranean and therefore in the entire World at the time. With the discovery of America and the new Atlantic routes, the Mediterranean was significantly reduced and gradually lost its importance (and the Genoese navigators immediately adapted to the new situation by becoming financiers capable of lending money to all Europeans... but this is another story!) ...
... and after the English flag, who isn't English at all... now, what do Jeans have to do with Genova?! ... Because We invented Them 😆...
Not out of desire for protagonism but to do justice to history, let's be clear! ... but.... Jeans are not an American invention ... ok, please, don't be offended, wait until I explain! 🙏 ... The first traces of the famous blue fabric lead us to the city of Genoa, in the 16th century(1500), and more precisely to the Ancient Port (heart of the city), where this blue fabric was created and used for the manufacture of ship canvases and for tarpaulins, obviously because it's very resistant, long-lasting and easily washable.
Most likely the name "BLUE JEANS" derives from "BLUE DE GENES", therefore "Blue of Genoa".
Then, during the great emigrations, around the nineteenth century (1800), the blue canvas of Genoa arrived in America.
Here it began to be used to make work clothes for Miners.
And, it seems that prior to this context the Genoese fabric changes its name to Blue Jeans.
Leaping forward in history, so as not to become too verbose, the term Blue Jeans was then used to refer no longer to the fabric but to a model of trousers.
But here we are at the American invention! ... I don't want to take away all the credit!!! It was 1873 when Levi Strauss invented the first denim jeans. He opens a supply shop for gold miners in San Francisco and with the help of a tailor he designs the first jeans in history.
Riding fast forward in history, the Cowboys of the Far West began to make not only trousers but also sturdy jackets with this fabric.
From here, we see the use of the heans depopular almost everywhere. It was the garment used by the military, the uniform of Garibaldi's troops (the resistance to the Germans during the Second World War... another story...) until it became a trend of fashion among film actors (Marlon Brando and James Dean were among the first to appear on the big screen wearing blue jeans)... followed by university guys to end up starting a whole new path in the world of fashion...
OUR FIRST
PUBLIC EVENT!!!
Gibbstown Fair, Saturday 5th October.
We offered Free Samples to introduce ourselves.
And in return we received many compliments and had the pleasure of speaking and meeting many people who showed support and appreciation for our new business.
We THANK all the people who gave us the opportunity to introduce us.
See you soon guys!!!
