Rose Tellone spends her days making sandwiches in Pace University’s Pleasantville cafeteria. She satisfies her creative hunger through art.

Tellone opened her phone to photos of landscape paintings as well as charcoal work created by her son.

“I wish I could focus on the artsy stuff. My son is actually very good. He’s studying art, I guess he takes after me,” Tellone said.

Tellone graduated high school with an honors award for her artwork. Although she took night art classes at a local high school after graduation, her formal art education ended there and her career in food service began.

“I had to go to work after high school. So I worked in the bakery down the block,” Tellone said.

She started working in the front of the bakery taking orders and went on to decorating cakes in the back. Eventually she worked in a deli with her soon to be husband John. The duo opened its own deli in Eastchester, which had to close due to the 2008 recession.

It was never Tellone’s dream to open a food joint herself; Tellone’s dream is to continue working on her art. Tellone spends her spare time painting, playing the guitar and creating recyclable arts. The Bronx native can make flowers out of egg cartons and snowflakes out of twine.

It’s been quite some time since she has done something artsy – she had trouble pining an exact year. She cited her sons as inspiration.

“When the boys needed something done for school I’d be happy to do it. That’s how I got into the recyclable art. I love making something out of random things.”

She not only enjoys making art, but also likes collecting art, in particular stamps. While the average person might not consider stamp collecting an art, Tellone does.

“I like to collect because the stamp itself is an art which attracts me. Stamps are historic. Part of the old fashioned way. You frame the stamp and it’s instant art,” she said.

Tellone’s sons still get surprised when she shows them some of her old work. She even had one piece converted to a sticker on her credit card.

Tellone tried working with other “artsy” things like a sewing class she took in high school. She needed her mother’s—a seamstress—help.

“I can’t make a dress out of thread, but I can make one with a glue gun,” she said.

Although Tellone’s husband is retired, she continues to work at Chartwells to provide for her sons. Her favorite sandwich that she makes at Pace is the Italian combo, an order junior Angel Dennis usually makes.

“Oh, Rosie? She’s great. Always smiling, and she makes a great sandwich,” Dennis said.

Until Tellone can retire like her husband, her art will have to come second to creating wraps for hungry college students – all without the help of a glue gun.