Lingua Franca and Emporio Sirenuse Celebrated Their Collaboration With a Dreamy Dinner in Montauk

Rachelle Hruska MacPherson, founder of Lingua Franca, first met Carla Sersale, a co-owner of Positano’s Le Sirenuse, when vacationing on the Amalfi Coast eleven years ago. They immediately struck up a friendship, and Sersale invited Hruska out to a fabulous dinner with and her “glamorous Italian friends,” Hruska recalls. Now, over a decade later, it was Hruska’s turn—on Thursday night, she threw Sersale’s honor at Crow’s Nest in Montauk.

The occasion was Lingua Franca’s collaboration with Emporio Sirenuse, the lifestyle brand Sersale founded to encompass the effortless, elegant la dolce vita ambiance of her hotel. There are tunics in playful magic mushroom prints, totes embroidered with a royal blue “Positano” in Lingua Franca’s instantly recognizable script. A cashmere sweater reads “Positano bites deep”— a John Steinbeck quote—while another has “Ciao Bella” complete with a beaded lemon. The line will be available at The Crow’s Nest Boutique through the summer and online at Emporio Sirenuse.

In attendance for the launch dinner? Hruska and Sersale, along with Dada Daily’s Claire Oshan, gallerist Amalia Dayan, Wall group founder Brooke Wall, and Tombolo co-founder Chris Galasso.

The meal was served family style on Crow’s Nest’s idyllic sweeping lawn. There was whipped ricotta with toast, mezze platters, chicken skewers, halibut, and for dessert, a goat cheese and ricotta cheesecake. In an impromptu speech, Hruska expressed her thanks for her and Sersale’s friendship, creative collaboration, and her hospitality in Amalfi years ago: “I’m so glad I got to return the favor,” she said in an impromptu speech.