“Il Pennello ceramic café is dedicated to bringing out your hidden creativity,” the manager of the Maadi branch thus simply describes the purpose of the café. In Il Pennello, you can have fun painting pottery with your kids while enjoying a cup of coffee or a delicious meal from its Italian-international menu. A huge variety of attractive ceramic bisques' designs is available to choose from along with thirty different colors to decorate your creation. “We import the materials including bisques, ceramic colors, and glazes from Italy to guarantee the highest quality for our customers,” said Faiz Nasaf, the manager of the café. All bisques, according to Nasaf, are covered with foodsafe glazes, making them suitable for use with food and adding a luminous and glowing touch to the pottery. The café provides kids as well as beginners with step-by-step painting technique guidelines to follow, as well as a large selection of colored potteries, painted by professionals to help them in selecting colors that blend together beautifully to produce eye-catching pieces. Nasaf pointed out, “It's not just children that love painting, we have clients of all ages who come here regularly to pursue their hobby.” “‘Paintbrushes against shisha' is the café's slogan, an effort to urge young people to develop their artistic skills instead of wasting their time and ruining their health with bad habits,” added Nasaf. The indoor area is non-smoking in an attempt to protect the health of the children who represent a large percentage of the place's clientele. There is also a small garden, where you can relax and enjoy the sunshine, while getting creative with your children. Il Pannelloalso makes designs for special occasions, such as Ramadan, Valentine's Day and Easter. “This Ramadan, a lot of children painted fawaness to give as souvenirs to their parents or keep them as decorations in their own bedrooms.” Currently, a collection of bisque sheep is available at the café in celebration of Eid el-Adha. “For special occasions, we buy in a smaller quantity of designs, since they will be only sold for a limited period of time,” the manager explained. Prices range from LE30 to LE100, depending on the size of the ceramic. Every year the café holds a painting contest in the summer for the best design on a mug, with the purpose of encouraging new customers to participate. The contest is open for all ages and the winner is awarded with a prize of LE1000 and a certificate. Nasaf concluded by saying that Maher Baghdady, the owner, got the idea of opening an artistic café from America. Il Pennello, which launched its first café in Heliopolis six years ago, has another two branches in the heart of Maadi and Mohandessin. Maadi: 15, Street 9, in front of Mercedes service center Tel.: 23583211 Heliopolis: 2, Omar Ibn al Khattab St., Haroun al Rasheed sq., in front of the English School. Tel.: 22417603 Mohandessin: 12, Al Mahruqi St., in front of Dar al Orman !--Session data-- !--Session data--
