Honey; Being born in the early 70’s, we were raised by mothers who pioneered the natural, local food movement. Long before ‘organic’ and ‘slow foods’ were household terms, we purchased from local farmers, had abundant back yard gardens and were nourished on whole foods. Refined products, especially sugar, were not to be found in our homes. One might think that a childhood devoid of sugar is a childhood deprived, but that could not be more untrue. Honey, the oldest and purest food in the world, the sweet syrupy nectar was a passion of Nancy Cosper, Elora’s award winning, canning and baking mother. Her belief in the healing properties of honey inspired her thrice published canning book, ‘You Can Can with Honey,’ soon to be reissued by Honey & Coupe. For us, honey is enveloping, whimsical, delightful and restorative, feelings which we like to evoke for our clients.
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Coupe; Legend has it that the coupe glass was molded from Marie Antoinette’s left breast and that the queen desired her court to drink from these glasses in homage to her health, and while this anecdote is strictly folklore (the glass was invented almost a century before in England), we love the romance of the tale as we love the shapely, curvaceous bowl, the elegant transition where the stem rises to meet the saucer and the instinctively celebratory way the glass fits in one’s hand. It is a classic design that has stood the test of time and which is representative of, and lends its inspiration to Honey & Coupe’s creative vision.
We met in the first few weeks of the new school year, when Radiance was just 7 and Elora, 8 years old. We were fast friends then, and friends ever since. In the last 30 years we have followed each other over the country, lived together periodically, and since adolescents, have not gone longer than a week or two without speaking. For years we mused at the idea of starting a business together, but with Radiance firmly established in Seattle and Elora in New York City, it never seemed viable. 2009 brought Elora back to Portland, and by stroke of fate, two years later Radiance and her husband followed. One year later we were launching the first of Honey & Coupe’s Signature Events. Elora’s 15-year career as an interior designer aligns with Radiance’s 20 years in hospitality and event planning. Together we have created Honey & Coupe Soirées, Mercato (our signature products and those which we extol), and Gadabouts (our premier travel division).
