Sicilian Comfort: From My Easel to the Dinner Table

Some paintings arrive as an idea. Others arrive as a feeling.

Sicilian Comfort was painted from a deep craving for warmth—comfort food, family tradition, and the quiet joy of a meal that brings everyone together. It’s also become one of my most popular paintings, and I love that because it tells me something: this feeling is shared.

At its heart, Sicilian Comfort is about comfort—the kind you can taste, the kind you can remember, the kind you can pass down.

The inspiration: my heritage and my father’s restaurant

This painting was inspired by my Sicilian heritage and by my father’s restaurant, Pacino’s. The idea of a restaurant meal—simple, generous, familiar—has always felt like its own form of love. The kind of meal that says, sit, relax, you’re home.

When I painted Sicilian Comfort, I created it as an escape into that atmosphere: a restaurant setting, yet outdoors, with a sky backdrop and ivy growing along the table. I loved blending the feeling of being “out for a meal” with the open air and that little touch of nature creeping in—like life insisting on beauty.

And I painted it during lockdown, when many of us were missing the simple pleasures—going out to eat, gathering around a table, being in the presence of others. In that time, painting this scene became a true refuge for me.

Why it’s called Sicilian Comfort

The symbolism is straightforward and heartfelt: comfort.

This is my comfort food—an Italian-style meal my parents cooked—so the painting holds that emotional memory for me. And I imagine it’s comfort food for many others too. There’s something universal about spaghetti and a table set with care. It’s humble, satisfying, and deeply human.

A Christmas gift that came to life: plates for spaghetti nights

This year, Sicilian Comfort stepped into the real world in a way that completely delighted me.

For Christmas, I sent my daughter-in-law a set of eight dinner plates featuring the painting. She wanted them for spaghetti dinners she serves to her son’s (my grandson’s) track team on carb-loading nights.

Then she sent me photos—and a video—of spaghetti served right on top of my artwork. I had one of those moments where you pause and think, this is why I make things.

She loves them. And I love seeing my painting not just admired, but used—becoming part of a real gathering, part of a tradition, part of a lively table.

A plate is a perfect canvas

Seeing Sicilian Comfort on plates opened something up in my mind.

It reminded me that art doesn’t only live on walls. It can live in everyday life—on objects we touch, use, and share. And a plate is truly a perfect canvas, especially for this painting. The image of food belongs near a meal. It just fits.

And I’ll share one more detail I appreciate: these plates are made for everyday life. They’re microwave safe and dishwasher safe (any rack), FDA food-contact compliant and CPSC certified, with no melamine, BPA’s, or other harmful chemicals. They have a durable satin finish, and they’re 100% manufactured and decorated in the U.S.A. That matters to me—because if art is going to join the table, it should be something you can truly live with.

Availability note: I’ve been so encouraged by how beautiful these turned out that I’m seriously considering adding Sicilian Comfort plates to my catalog. They aren’t available in my shop yet, but I wanted to share the story—and the possibility—because seeing this piece at the table has me imagining new ways art can live with us every day. If you’d like me to offer them, I’d genuinely love to hear your interest.

Now I’m dreaming up what else could work beautifully as functional art—what other images might belong at the table, what other “everyday canvases” could carry a story.

Because that’s always been my goal:

It’s Not Just Art, It’s a Conversation™.

Bring Sicilian Comfort into your world

If you’re discovering Sicilian Comfort for the first time, welcome. This painting has become a favorite for a reason: it’s warm, it’s familiar, and it carries a sense of gathering.

Discover Sicilian Comfort by Roberta Pacino

With warmth,
Roberta Pacino