Dear Home
His name's Robin Petravic. You know him as Co-owner of Heath, as do we, plus a whole lot more. His surname's Croatian. He says he doesn't mind how you pronounce it—he's heard it all by now. While that's very accommodating, what if we surprise him for Father's Day with a lesson on pronunciation? What better gift? (We can think of thousands!).

Alas, try this: Pa-traw-vich. Yes, that's right! All together now, "Happy Father's Day, Mr. Pa-traw-vich. Thank you for the last eighteen years of whip-smart guidance."

Well done, dear home, surely we've made his day! Now, let's turn the mic over to Mr. Petravic himself, as he answers a few of the questions we've had on our mind.

(Brief pause, passes microphone)
A Book's Impact
"I still have my complete collection of Disney’s 'Wonderful World of Knowledge' Encyclopedias for kids, copyright 1971. My older brother and I shared the 19 volumes, covering subjects like: inventions and discovery, civilization, art, transportation, etc. I would look at them before I could read. They introduced me to so many subjects that I found invaluable while growing up."

The good ol' days.
June, You're Very Important
Let us count the ways... First, you're prideful, honoring LGBTQ+ through a month-long celebration of the community, commemorating the June 1969 Stonewall riots in Lower Manhattan. Next, you host Juneteenth, a lesser-acknowledged holiday (until now!) observing June 19, 1865 as the freedom of enslaved people in the U.S. Slavery had ended two and a half years prior. Though, on this day, news finally reached the enslaved people in Texas, alerting them they'd been emancipated. And finally, Father's Day. To our great fathers, in any and all forms and functions, we offer you the well-deserved spotlight. We're so grateful for you! With that, we conclude our account of the honorary month. Amongst difficult times, June brings diversity, celebration, and love. We needed you, June!
Father to Father
"My dad is 90. He was born in Croatia, met my mother, from China, when they were studying physics in England in the 50s. My brother and I were born in England, going between there and Croatia until we moved to New Jersey, when I was eight. As a kid, I thought of my dad as being good at a lot—driving a boat, drawing, and math. He could fix and build so much. These thoughts make me smile. What I learned from him about being a father is that just being there is the most important thing."

Being there. Such a valuable lesson.
"I had three influential professors in my design program at Stanford. All of them left me with wisdom that I still use today. I’d love to share all, but I’ll pick one. David Kelley taught me that when I was having a hard time making a decision, to flip a coin, hold it in my hand, and instead of looking to see heads or tails, 'listen' to which one I 'wished' it was. Listen to your heart, not the voices in your head."
- Robin Petravic
Ready, Spaghetti?
"Cooking is my way to relax at the end of the day—often selfishly, I hear. If its just myself, I will cook spaghetti slowly in a tomato sauce. The pasta is parboiled, then transferred to the cast iron pan where I cooked my sauce, with the pasta water added, as needed. The pasta cooks slowly, soaking up the sauce as it cooks. Then, I top it with grated Romano and parsley. Note, it must be spaghetti. Not angel hair."

On tonight's menu!
Thank you, Robin, for letting us into your world. Yours Truly, Heath Ceramics