LARGO, Fla. — Peter Erdei is teaching his sons a lot about woodworking — and even more about life.
Peter is the artfully inventive mind behind Largo's Erdei Designs, which repurposes and reimagines majestic fallen trees into beautiful new furniture, bars, bathroom sinks and more.
"If you can dream it, we can make it," said Peter, whose company has created cigar cases for Michael Jordan and Tom Brady, and an American flag for President Trump.
He welcomes anyone to his shop to turn an old tree or a forgotten piece of wood into something beautiful.
"When I'm working on new pieces in the shop, it's hard to go to sleep," Peter said with a smile. "How can I figure something out? How can I make it better? That's what I love."
Peter is from Hungary, and his grandfather and father passed down the values of hard work, ingenuity and working with your hands, head and heart.
"It's all about the value of real work," he said. "Making money with your hands, your mind. I feel that's missing in a lot of children these days."
So now it's his turn to extend the familial courtesy, passing down lessons to his young sons Noah and Patrick, both of whom are already making intricate wooden creations.
"My Dad taught me how to make these pens," said Patrick, showing off fantastical wooden writing tools that look like something out of "Game of Thrones." "He taught me everything really."
With wife Anita also a big part of Erdei Design's success, Peter said he's proud to have his family around him for this adventure.
"It's very fulfilling to see the happiness on their faces when they create something cool," he said.
