Roman Horoszewski and the Art of the Rowing Plaque (A visit to the countryside studio of craftsman Roman Horoszewski)

We love doing things the right way.  For us, this means making our blazers locally and by hand, using the best and most traditional materials we can.  We also love the sport of rowing.

Roman Horoszewski is a man with similar passions.  A standout on Rutgers' historic program and two-time national champion with the famous Penn AC Rowing Association, Roman is now the novice coach at the Peddie School ("This is probably the rowing achievement I'm most proud of," he says. "Having the honor and responsibility of introducing the sport to the next generation.")

But a little over five years ago, he picked up another hobby: wood carving.  Using traditional gouges and chisels (some of his tools are over a century old), Roman carves exquisite works of art in the studio next to his house in rural Crosswicks, New Jersey.  His specialty: traditional rowing plaques and honors boards.

Roman was kind enough to invite us to his studio and to show us some of his work and works-in-progress (a U.S.A. shield; and a huge, elaborately-carved honors board for all Penn A.C. members who rowed on the national team).  None of his works are painted, but many have rich, vibrant colors: this is because Roman works with a rainbow of woods: bloodwood (red), cherry (orange), yellowheart (yellow), poplar (green), blue mahoe (blue), purpleheart (purple), and basswood (white).  The results are breathtaking.

Roman takes commissions, and his custom plaques start at around $750.  For more information, email Roman directly at rhcarving@gmail.com and follow him on instagram at @rhcarving.

Aside from being an amazing artisan, Roman's also a genuinely nice guy - which counts for a lot in our book.