Our Story

    Distretto's Grandma holding her first grandson

    Our story begins with tragedy.

    Nicole lost her mother in the Fall of 2018 to a major stroke. It happened fast and it was devastating. The following February, for her mother’s birthday, we traveled back to San Diego with her father to scatter the ashes in the ocean.  If you’ve ever been to San Diego in February, you know it’s usually overcast and just blah. Except the day we rented a boat to say goodbye. The weather was perfect, the seals were out sunbathing and the dolphins were out to play. 

    That same day, on what would have been her 62nd birthday, we decided to get tattoos in her honor. She was a HUGE fan of tattoos. Those tattoos would become our company’s identity.

    There are multiple layers woven together to create these tattoos:​

    1. Husband and Wife
    2. Day of the Dead/Day of the Deceased for Robert’s Ecuadorian heritage.
    3. The man is wearing a cowboy hat to represent Texas, where we met and built a life.
    4. Pink/Purple accents for Nicole’s mom (if we could bedazzle a tattoo for her we would have)

    When we were thinking about our logo, Robert had the idea to digitize our tattoos and use them as the logo. 

    Our next hurdle came in the form of Cancer. Robert was diagnosed with Cancer less than a year after Nicole’s mother passed away.

    This is the moment Distretto is born.

    When you endure that much pain and loss in less than 12 months, you can’t help but stop and look at your life. You want to make something. To create a legacy for your family and future generations. Nicole’s mother left us abruptly, her life cut far too short. Now Robert was facing his own mortality in the form of Cancer. That changes you. As an individual and as a family.

    WE. LOVE. COFFEE.

    Everywhere we go, we stop for coffee. Even if we’re stuffed from eating. That’s actually a true story! We went to New York in 2015 and ate an entire pizza from Lombardi’s in Little Italy and then went to Ferrara Cafe & Bakery for coffee and cannoli. 

    Because… coffee. 

    And finally, we got married in a French pastry/coffee shop. True story. We were their first ever wedding! I guess people don’t get married in places like this??

    We found Croissant D’Or Patisserie on a trip to New Orleans when Nicole was seven months pregnant (it was also her first trip). We stayed in a hotel in the French Quarter and this shop is right across the street. It was fate. Every time we go to New Orleans, we stop here for pastries (real butter!) and cafe au lait. 

    The stained glass with “The Coffee House” takes up the entire wall and it’s beautiful. 

    And in true Dianna Saraceni form, her hand is on her husband’s junk. In her daughter’s wedding photo.  We miss you.