Rosabelle

Rosabella Canaley was born in Murry Hill, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. Her father was the son of an Italian immigrant and earned his living as a hard-working stone mason.

Although, by all accounts, a young Rosabella was an eager-to-please child, it was said that, as a 10-year-old, she announced to her family one day that she no longer would answer to the name “Rosabella.” She gave no reason, but was so resolute in her decision that her family eventually agreed. Her mother was a skilled pie-maker, a skill Rosabelle took to quickly as well.

Rosabelle eventually left home and moved to Cleveland. She was a lover of people and enjoyed the social life that Cleveland offered. She worked various jobs, but her pie- making skills were soon discovered by a baker who had originally hired her to work the counter. It was in this bakery that she met her husband, a business man and entrepreneur who dreamed of opening an amusement park.

In 1895, Euclid Beach Park opened. Locals referred to it as Clevelandʼs “Coney Island.” It was a booming success and Rosabelle lived the rest of her days in luxury. Their home had an exquisite rolling yard and garden where they hosted wonderful parties. Rosabelle would often treat guests to her signature raspberry pie made from fresh raspberries grown on a nearby Ohio farm.

Special friends stayed after most guests had left, retiring to plush chairs on the homeʼs spacious front porch. There, they sipped a cocktail called a “Bramble,” infused with Rosabelleʼs own raspberry-flavored elixir.