By Andrea McGovern
NORTH ROYALTON-Janet Mercuri’s home is filled with many, many pieces of her cross stitch work. Framed projects and small vignettes of her numerous collections fill the home, offering a feast for the eyes and a serene place for family to gather.Her husband Tony, an accomplished woodworker, also brings his talents to the house, renovating rooms with the skill of a professional and making frames for his wife’s completed cross stitch pieces. Together they have created a much-loved home.
Mercuri’s conversation shows her devotion to family and hearth. The couple has three adult sons, two of whom are married. Both live in Strongsville. Their youngest son is not yet married and lives in Pittsburgh.
Mercuri’s two married sons each has two sons of their own. Having lost her mother while she was still in her teens, and not having a daughter, Mercuri said she appreciates the female companionship of her daughters-in-law. “I have two daughters-in-law so far, and both are like daughters to me,” she said.
The Mercuris met through a friend and were friends throughout their teens. When he returned from a stint in the Navy, the relationship blossomed. They have been married for 41 years.
After high school, Mercuri was a secretary for Sherwin Williams Co. and then for a Cleveland advertising agency. She opted to stay home once the kids arrived, fitting in some temporary assignments and part-time jobs as they came up. Her true calling is being a homemaker.
“I like to take care of my house and cook,” she said. “The older I get, the more passionate I get about cooking.”
Tony Mercuri considers himself spoiled. “We always have good meals,” he said.
“My mother was a really good cook,” Mercuri said. “But at the time I wasn’t very interested. Then I got married and had to cook. Over the years it has become more of a focus for me.”
She said her mother loved vegetables, and would use a wide variety of fresh produce, rarely using the same item two weeks in a row. She said it’s been a challenge getting her husband to become as “adventurous” about food as she is. Ironically, it was actually Tony Mercuri’s father who first introduced her to making her own ravioli.
“He used to lay a clean sheet on the bed and lay the dough out there to dry,” she said. Following in his footsteps, she makes the stuffed pasta pies once in a while, but she uses a recipe from famed Italian chef Lidia Bastianich, whose cookbooks Mercuri devours, and takes advantage of modern conveniences such as her food processor and stand mixer.
“I really enjoy baking bread the most,” she said. “My newest bread recipe is for “stretchy bread.” It’s called stirato. I’m really excited about it.”
Mercuri enjoys the world of food so much she recently collated her favorite recipes into a cookbook which she gave to her children and sisters for Christmas.
The Mercuris have had the opportunity to travel to Europe several times in recent years. They enjoy walking through the cities and “eating at the places where they don’t speak English,” she said.
At home they walk, too, often walking to services at their parish, St. Albert the Great.
McGovern is a freelance writer.
ANDREA MC GOVERN
Janet Mercuri has found that the older she gets the more passionate she becomes about cooking for her family, which includes husband Tony, three sons, two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren.
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