An Interview with Petra Carsetti

The Best in Show Winner for the Etiquette Community in our 1st Annual Etiquipedia Place Setting Competition is Petra Carsetti of Italy. Petra is shown above with her Edwardian dinner place setting.

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Petra Carsetti was born into a gastronomic minded family… true lovers of excellent foods and wines. From an early age she showed a great passion for the table, which she later developed by working in important, well-known Italian restaurants. Since 2005, she has written many books on food and wine, along with guides to Italian restaurants, specializing also in galateo and etiquette at the Accademia Italiana Galateo and ANCEP (the Association of Ceremonialists for Public Institute). She teaches etiquette in schools to adults and children, is a consultant for various political and economic authorities, and she has a weekly column in a historic newspaper. She also writes for various other newspapers, and in September she will come out with her new book, “GalaTime: it is always time for good manners”!

Petra’s formal setting was our Best in Show for the Etiquette Community entries. It is a delightful mix of old and new. Her menu was a seafood lover’s dream. Simple, yet perfect for the challenge and ideal for a formal table. The accompanying clear service plate (so trendy at the moment) and matching bread plate were an unexpectedly nice complement to the antique, “Bristol Blue,” English Staffordshire china transferware plates by Crown Ducal. That pattern, in the Bristol Pink, has always been a personal favorite of mine, and so reminiscent of childhood visits to ‘grandma’s house.’ 

Adding to the mix was an antique melon fork, vintage ivory handled dessert knife and butter knife, a silver, roll-top butter dish (photographed both opened and closed) and a gleaming silver water pitcher. The hot pink flower choice was, again, a great complement as an accent piece to the choice of dish ware. The tall, baluster glass stemware mixed seamlessly with the glass and transferware plates. Making the setting perfectly correct was the largest of dinner napkins, giving this modern-antique mix a winning look.

A few etiquette notes on Petra’s setting: 

Petra was very specific on what was being served and when, what was being cleared and when, etc… This was tremendously helpful when judging the settings, as I had a few questions regarding most of the settings when it came to the judging. Elizabeth Soos had been the person in charge of receiving all of the photos and entries, so I had no idea what information she had regarding each entrant.

In the U.S., a melon fork, being a combination knife-fork (or “knork” as my young students would say) would never require the knife. However, in many European circles, especially French, a melon fork has an accompanying knife. As Petra resides in Italy and that appears to be a French melon fork, the Continental style fruit or dessert/pudding knife was perfectly placed.

A 19th century melon fork, paired with a French ivory fruit knife, sit below the pudding course spoon.

The elements chosen are all perfect for her Edwardian era setting. The glass service plate and bread plate are subtle enough to fit in, even though they are so modern. Petra managed to match the period glass liner in the roll-top butter dish (shown open in the top right of the photo below and closed in the top left of the first photo), which helped to nicely tie those elements together. She made a wise choice to show the roll-top both opened and closed, as many other entrants might not have chosen to do. The faux “French ivory” handles on the knives are true to the period.

The size of the Damask napkin, the largest available from most makers, is the appropriate size for a formal dinner, and often missed by many people… even those in the etiquette field, so kudos to Petra on getting that one point correct!

The largest of napkins are the correct choice for formal dinner settings.

  

Due to the volume of photos that some entrants sent, the choice of photos was sometimes not the best to be posted on Instagram, though as busy as Elizabeth Soos was, she somehow got one photo of each of all these settings posted for people to view. 

The photo of Petra’s setting that was posted on Instagram had a fork askew, so I asked if there were other photos from this particular entrant. In order for me to not know or guess who the entrant was, she had to crop Petra out, so I could view any other images with the perfect placement of the forks. I could see that the fork had been knocked out of place from the photo was sent with the others. 

Being used to photographing place settings on a fairly regular basis, I know how easy it is to knock something out of place and not realize it until the photo session is finished.

Six questions for Petra: 

1. Have you always enjoyed a properly set table? Or, if not, was table setting something you learned to enjoy through your social life and/or business, later on in life?

I have always loved a properly set table. Since I was a teenager, I invited my friends to dinner and I set up the table in a very accurate and scenographic way! It wasn't always set up correctly, but there was always passion in setting it up. I remember that once (I was 15 years old) I set up the table with goblet glasses (only for water) by covering them with flowers; those same flowers brought them back all over the handrail of the stairs that were in the dining room.

2. How did you choose the various elements you used in your setting, and why?

To set the table I tried to use philological elements (philology is the study of the history of language traditionally, including historical literary texts) in line with the chosen theme. I also preferred to use particular objects such as the melon fork, precious materials such as English porcelain, crystal glasses with stems and antique fabrics with the rare 70 cm (27 & 1/2 inch) napkin.

3. How, if at all, did Covid related social restrictions affect your choice of setting? Were you ready to celebrate? Feeling in the mood to do something different?

Unfortunately, Covid and the Pandemic have greatly changed our daily lives for small and big things. Social relationships have changed, they have been less frequent but this has caused the desire to be together. The rules are changed and these must be respected but the feeling of being together is always that of sharing and empathy. Brillat Savarin taught us this.

4. Same for the menu chosen as question number three… Did Covid related social restrictions affect your menu choices at all?

No, it didn't.

5. If yours was a historical setting, why did you choose that particular period in time?

I chose that particular period for several reasons:

• because it was what I loved most
• because in setting up the table I would have had more harmonious objects 
• because in my new book “GalaTime” coming out in September, I had written about English traditions and objects.

6. Do you plan on entering again next year?

“This year it was very exciting to participate in this first competition with people from all over the world and I will be happy to participate in the next year as well. The judges Maura J. Graber and Elizabeth Soos are the greatest etiquette experts in existence and therefore participating will always be a stimulus to grow, improve, compare with other realities and nations. The table is a moment of union, it is also in this case!”

Elizabeth Soos and I would both like to congratulate Petra on her wonderful setting, and we would love to claim the mantle of “greatest etiquette experts in existence” but we humbly will admit that there are many out there in the field of etiquette, all over the world, who share our talents, enthusiasm and knowledge! 

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia