Hello ~ Ciao ~ Bonjour – Hola ~ Merhaba!
I am Jessica and thrilled that you are here. Our paths in life are individual journeys and mine has been circuitous, overflowing with experiences, curiosity, learnings and travel. I believe that every encounter continues to build out who we are.
Integrity, passion, authenticity – I feel those aspects together make us better mentors, connectors and people.
Since 2006, I have been building, guiding and caring for The Savory Grape, a retail wine store and boutique wine travel business that I founded. From this work and my passion for bringing people together through wine and food, I have been creating experiences with winemaking and culinary families in the U.S. and Europe, whose life work is committed to developing and caring for their crafts.
Little did I know in the inaugural year of the business that this journey would allow me to travel abroad regularly to get to know these families, rekindle my love affair with Italy and bring their stories to others…to savor.
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; It’s choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast or easy. And it’s practicing your values not just professing them.”
– Brene Brown
Bellissima (beautiful) ~ passione (passion) ~ fascino (charm) – these words describe the magnetic effect that Italy had on me more than 20+ years ago, on my first trip there. Captivated by its beauty, I was lured in by its undulating wave of people, charm, customs, wine and food. I fell in love with all of this; I knew because I felt the chills (brividi, in Italian), the butterfly quivering inside that we all have had with a first love of any kind.
This was 1997; I was still carefree, not quite yet with a “career,” when the seed for my lifelong love for Italy was planted, only to lay dormant until many years later. My road to becoming an entrepreneur has been filled with many experiences, and pushing boundaries.
In 2020, I launched Notes To Savor™ – a place – written and in voice – where I share reflections of my journeys and lessons learned that include moments of authenticity, grace, humor and, naturally, challenge.
I hope these notes inspire you to savor your path, however straight or meandering.
Other Details About Jessica…
Jessica has a background in business, public relations and writing. In 2006, she founded The Savory Grape, a wine retail and curated wine travel business. In 2020, Jessica started Notes To Savor™, a collection of photographic storytelling and writings of her international journeys, lessons learned as a female entrepreneur and personal musings navigating life as a woman in business. Jessica is a lifestyle columnist for The Italy Edit and Providence Business News where her monthly column To Savor™ appears,.
Prior to her career as an entrepreneur, she held positions at public relation firms Hill & Knowlton in Washington, DC and Feinstein Kean in Cambridge, MA. Her passion for and curiosity of the mind prompted her to pursue psychology graduate studies at Catholic University and conduct research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
She and The Savory Grape have been featured in various media publications including the Wall Street Journal, Rhode Island Monthly, Edible Rhody, Providence Journal, GoLocal Prov and Providence Business News, from which she previously has received the Women to Watch and Top 40 Under 40 business awards. She has been interviewed by Dr. Claire Nicogossian for her podcast on Work, Family, Self-Care.
Jessica has held the chairwoman position of the Southern New England American Heart Association and board and advisory positions with Advancing Workplace Excellence, Summer Arts & Festival and the RI Philharmonic. She holds a BA in Communications, Magna Cum Laude, and MA in Psychology. She lives in Rhode Island and travels to Europe regularly.