Diana's Papillion Tea Shop

LIVING HER PASSION – Elissa Vilter, EV Floral and Design and Om Nom Nom Bakery

Elissa (on left) and Julie Ricceri, Owner of Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop

Elissa (on left) and Julie Ricceri, Owner of Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop

While growing up as the youngest of six children in Southern California, Elissa Vilter watched her mother whip up simple, elegant dishes while teaching her children that a meal is more than just a recipe. Instead, it is an opportunity to create a colorful presentation and table setting. Her family became accustomed to linens, candles, silverware, and a centerpiece of some kind on their table every night. When Elissa was eight, her mother signed her up for a summer school cooking class. “It was so much fun!” states Elissa. “I still remember taking what I learned to make a taco salad and decorating our table in a Mexican motif.” By the time Elissa was twelve, her mother was encouraging her to meal plan and recipe hunt. With her mother’s guidance that fresh was best, Elissa planned weekly menus, shopped for the ingredients, and prepared the meals. But the guidance from her mother didn’t stop there. Elissa’s mother also created decorated wedding and birthday cakes, sugared Easter eggs, and corsages and boutonnieres from flowers in her garden.

When Elissa was fifteen, her father left, forcing her mother to develop a catering business out of necessity. As she began catering and baking for weddings and other events, Elissa often accompanied her to help arrange flowers and decorate the space without any idea that she was already building a foundation of skills that would one day allow her to open her own business.

After her life journey led Elissa to eventually obtain a degree in Behavior Science from Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado, she married her husband, Scott, and began teaching. As his military career led them all over the world and finally to Nebraska, Elissa focused on raising their three children. But everything changed five years ago when Elissa created floral arrangements and baked cupcakes for a friend’s wedding. After that friend encouraged her to not only open a floral design business but also an in-home bakery, Elissa founded EV Floral and Design in 2015 and Om Nom Nom bakery in 2019.

An Elissa Vilter wedding reception centerpiece.

An Elissa Vilter wedding reception centerpiece.

Elissa, whose business is generated by word-of-mouth only, contracts for about twelve weddings annually, creates flowers for proms, homecomings, and for seniors involved in athletics at a local high school; and produces floral arrangements and baked goods for ten to twelve additional events a year. Because her work comes in waves, Elissa doesn’t have typical days. “When I have an event coming up, my life gets crazy busy. When I’m not planning for a specific event, I’m answering emails, scheduling meetings with potential clients, ordering materials, and planning designs.” After visiting Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop in 2019 and asking if she could create baked goods for an upcoming event, a new relationship was formed. Today, Elissa handles all baking for the tea shop’s events and enjoys a wonderful friendship with the owner.

Elissa’s delicious baked goods at a recent tea party event.

Elissa’s delicious baked goods at a recent tea party event.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her business in the short-term, Elissa is excited about the future of her businesses. “I learned long ago that this is a process and to have patience,” she adds. While pursuing her passion, Elissa has found great joy in meeting new people. “This life is all about relationships,” she says, “The people I have met have shared such amazing stories about their lives.”

A bridal bouquet designed by Elissa.

A bridal bouquet designed by Elissa.

Today, Elissa describes her life as content. Her support group is her family and closest friends. Her husband, also known as her official taste tester, loves it when she is baking and creating. Both of her sons have helped in delivering her arrangements to weddings, and her daughter has also helped in deliveries and setting up weddings and other events.

This passionate entrepreneur advises anyone who wants to pursue a dream to go for it and allow others to help. “It’s never too late unless you never do it,” she states.

Everyone who takes a bite of her delectable baked goods and views her beautiful floral arrangements has to be thrilled that Elissa blended all her skills and talents honed since childhood and pursued her passion for creative design and, most importantly, for making people happy.

For more about Elissa and her products, feel free to call her at (402) 541-3084.

Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.

 

Living Her Passion – Julie Ricceri, Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop

Julie Ricceri, Owner of Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop

Julie Ricceri, Owner of Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop

When Julie Ricceri won a bag of tea from a Facebook contest hosted by The Papillion Tea Shop in 2016, she had just retired from a thirty-two-year career as a special education teacher. Married for thirty-three years and the mother of an adult daughter, Julie was looking forward to a new chapter without any idea that winning that bag of tea would become a pivotal moment in her life.

When Julie visited the tea shop to pick up her bag of tea, she chatted with an employee who was resigning. Julie, who was seeking work a few days a week, was eventually hired by Diana, the owner of the tea shop. Diana had cancer and needed someone to manage the shop while she received treatments. As a friendship between the two women developed, Diana confided in Julie that she wanted someone to take over the shop if the cancer ever became untreatable, perhaps five to ten years down the road. While Julie and Diana contemplated partnering together in the business, Diana traveled to Florida over Christmas. When she returned, she was too ill to work. Julie adds, “She was only able to make it in one more time before she passed away.” Her death left her grief-stricken husband, Des, with the overwhelming task of managing the shop as well as Diana’s affairs. After Julie agreed to stay on and run the business, she asked him to consider renaming the shop, Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop. He agreed and a year later, Julie purchased the shop from him.

Although Julie has always loved tea, she only drank unflavored green tea for its immune boosting power. Once she started working at the tea shop, she began learning about the health benefits of all teas. Today she definitely considers herself a tea aficionado who is passionate about the advantages of drinking a variety of teas cultivated from around the world.

Diana’s Tea Shop, Papillion, NE

Diana’s Tea Shop, Papillion, NE

While owning a business was daunting at first, Julie was inspired by Diana who she says had the imagination and unique abilities to open the shop. Diana’s husband, Des, offered great advice: enjoy every moment. “He didn’t want me to feel guilty about taking over the shop,” Julie adds. Before she tackles anything new, Julie always asks herself, “Would Diana like this? Is this something she would do?” Today, Julie has transformed into a confident entrepreneur who is slowly adding her own unique touches to the shop. Recently she added more tables and a cozy sitting area—a decision that has been very popular with her devoted customers. Her biggest challenge has been determining how much inventory to purchase and finding a balance between the demands of entrepreneurship and her need for occasional downtime. Her biggest surprise is how many of her customers have become her friends. “It really is a blessing,” she says, “I have a whole new set of people in my life that I would not have ever known had I not won that bag of tea!”

Julie’s husband, Ben, is her biggest supporter. He helps her with the books, cleans the shop, and assists with preparations for special events. Her daughter, Nina, also provides encouragement along the way. Finally, Diana’s family always expresses their gratitude to her for keeping the shop open.

Every day, Julie opens the shop at 10:00 a.m., ensures the tea is ready for sampling, stocks the shelves, checks on orders, answers customers’ questions, makes drinks, and chats with the customers. When asked what one word best describes her life today, Julie answered, “Full.” By pursuing her passion, Julie has gained a sense of satisfaction that comes with loving what she does. Although she never expected to be an entrepreneur, Julie has settled quite nicely into her new role and openly embraces everything that goes along with it. When she greets her customers warmly and offers them a place to decompress and enjoy a cup of flavorful tea, there is no question that Julie has found her home.

 Diana would be so proud.

 For more about Julie and the tea shop, visit www.dianaspapillionteashop.com or her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/papillionteashop/.

Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach who specializes in helping her clients move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.