Who are you?
I am Elissa Joy Watts, wife of Steve, daughter to Jon and Marilee, sister to JJ. I was born into a loving relationship with language, food, and all things beautiful. By day, I wield my linguistic skills as lululemon’s Communications Specialist. By night, I am usually dancing around in my kitchen, making a terrific mess.
What do you do for fun?
Simple things. The recipe for fun in my world is uncomplicated: free time, fresh air, family, friends and food. Give me sunshine, comfortable shoes, a good book, my journal and a cappuccino and I’ll follow you anywhere.
What is your favourite community and why?
Community is such a loaded word and favorites are hard to choose. I love the community of people from my church that meets at our place on Tuesdays because they genuinely care for one another and it shows. Being in the company of my friends who work for JJ Bean is fabulous because they are all so incredibly passionate about their craft. I love the familiarity of family and old friends because being known is a beautiful feeling. Wherever there are people putting others before themselves there is community. I strive towards fostering that.
What is your super power?
Bringing people together over food. (Preferably with butter involved. Lots of butter.) I come from a long line of women who have embraced the art of hospitality. Naturally, I wanted nothing to do with it as a child. And as a teenager.
Then slowly, after moving out on my own, I learned that I really liked to create with food and that it was the perfect way to express love for people. I fell head over heels and dropped out of college on a whim to pursue culinary school. It sounds romantic. It wasn’t. It was hard work but I loved it all. (Especially pastry.) My education has fueled my super power fire.
How do you use it to build community?
As I have honed my super power, I have become keenly aware that I am a rare breed among my peers. My goal is to use my gifts to inspire and encourage others to cultivate their culinary love language, expressing themselves and caring for others in a new, yet familiar medium – food. Nothing builds community like time spent with people over a meal. As long as there are hungry people that need a friend, my door is wide open.
My three favourite things about Elissa are…
1. Morning Coffee. Elissa is an ambassador of early morning get-togethers over a delicious cup of coffee. You may, at first, be blind-sided by the early, social start. But once you’re up, breathing in that morning air and sipping your way into a new day, you’ll thank her! Forget that first visit to Facebook or email. I’ve come around to the idea that, if you can swing it, starting your day with a friend is the way to go. Unlike lunch or after work drinks, you’ve got the advantage of talking out your day, working through anticipated fears and generally warming up your brain. 7:45 AM is the new extended lunch, only you’re energized twice as much in half the amount of time. Brilliant, Elissa!
2. Dish Washing. With talking/venting/commenting/liking/critiquing/judging/observing more popular than ever, the gift of listening is in high demand these days. I’ve known Elissa since we were both in Grade 5. Back in elementary school, our teachers would have special events in their conference room and be left with a sink full of dishes. Elissa and I were the two volunteers called in to wash and dry the dishes, during class time, no less! If you ask me now, I can tell you that my vision and memory of Elissa hasn’t changed one bit. She is still the beautiful girl with this evanescent quality about her who (gasp!) asks more questions and listens more carefully than one would expect of a ten-year-old or a twentysomethingyearold, for that matter. Elissa, whether she knows it or not, is leading a cultural crusade that rewards active listening and makes it “hip” and “cool.”
3. Elissa’s Joy. Both literally and figuratively. Elissa keeps a blog on Tumblr called “Elissa’s Joy” which she writes for friends, family and anyone else interested in what catches her eye. With only a few words and a photo, Elissa is able to capture those honest, fringe moments in life that film directors and essayists create by design. You know those moments; the ones where you discover a little piece of script or a seemingly accidental play of colour. They come as honest reminders that the pleasures in life are meant to be small, unexpected and filled with joy!