Selected Archives
Selected stories 2011-2021
Jono designs his dinnerware with the chef in mind. An example is his collaboration with chef April Bloomfield for the opening of the Tosca Cafe in San Francisco. The resulting Rimmed collection offers generous plating areas while maintaining a traditional rimmed look. The Rimmed shape has plates ranging from four to eleven inches in diameter. Because all Jono Pandolfi collections are designed to complement one another, mixing with other styles (like their Coupe) is an ideal way to diversify the look of a restaurant's dinnerware while maintaining a cohesive style. For more information on Jono Pandolfi collections and to get your own copy of their new Hospitality Catalogue, go here: http://www.jonopandolfi.com/ - D. James
Recently, one of our contributing writers, Michael Warner, wrote a piece on how boring the tabletop experience had become. Decades of white dinnerware on top of white napery, justified by the notion of creating a canvass to “frame the food” left us jaded. As Warner pointed out, “we simply bought into the prevailing belief that it takes an all-white backdrop to truly display a chef’s culinary creation.” He pointed out, however, that there was a new wave of chefs emerging from different “schools” of culinary arts. “Gone is the white napery replaced with weathered wood tabletops.” This new wave ditched the 12” white plates for splashes of blues and yellows resting on unconventional shapes. Industrial stainless steel pitchers were tossed to make room for glass bottles with a cork, left at the table for self serve. These tabletop changes, in effect, have caused a new wave of ceramicists to emerge inside the tabletop industry as well. People like Jono Pandolfi or Billy Lloyd have been able to make a name for them selves by creating unique dinnerware that goes against the grain. The question going into this new wave though, is what will set works apart? How much different can one’s tableware settings become before it begins to look the same? “My objects often carry a historical and ethnical connotation.” Ceramicist Guðný Hafsteinsdóttir may have an answer. Guðný Hafsteinsdóttir works as a teacher part time, emphasizing on textiles and history, but her passion lies in creating casted forms and using recycled glass. However most importantly, she draws from the world around her. “My inspirations are gathered from all over,” she says. “My environment, the newspapers, books, fashion and the people around me. My students too are a source of inspiration because of their joyful and ingenuous worldview.” A prime example of Guðný’s ability to pull from her surroundings is her Skarfur Collection, which is used in MAR Restaurant based out of Reykjavik, Iceland. For those unaware Skarfur is Icelandic for Cormorant, a large-winged black bird with a slight reddish yellow accent on its lore. The Skarfur is a fairly common sight to see when you traverse the shores of Iceland. Mrs. Hafsteinsdóttir’s dishware exterior carries a blackish grey finish. From far away you notice hints of a reddish orange interior peaking through, very similar to how you would notice it on an actual Skarfur. She also drew inspiration for the Skarfur collection from volcanic rocks and lava, something is Iceland is famous for. Where Guðný is able to pull from her surroundings, she also is able to dig deep into her country’s history for inspiration. Collections such as the Allt fram streymir (All The Streams,) are based off of old Icelandic poetry. Her Astarpungar series pays homage to folklore about men being wronged by beautiful women. The key is, with Hafsteinsdóttir’s ware comes history, culture, and personality. That’s what keeps things fresh. Mar Restaurant is a sea-inspired restaurant situated in an old harbor area that uses some of Guðný's work. Eating traditional meals in dinnerware that bares resemblance to the environment around you helps enhance the tabletop experience. They aren’t just pretty pieces of clay being tossed into a kiln. There’s a thought process to them. You might not be able to identify exactly what the plates and bowls represent, but they look familiar and they feel like a piece of Iceland. What will set works apart on a tabletop isn’t the color change or thinner brims for your plates, its the stories and inspiration behind them.
Here at TabletopJournal we’re very excited to see what Guðný Hafsteinsdóttir and her like-minded peers have in store for the future! For more of Guðný Hafsteinsdóttir's work check out this link. -Hamid Ali It was nice to see yesterday's Wall Street Journal online talking about rustic dinnerware being the newest trend in the "farm to table" and great to see dinnerware and ceramic innovators like Jono Pandolfi and Martin Kastner getting some much deserved love, as well.
Of course, whenever we see mainstream news outlets commenting on trends it makes us wonder of that particular trend may actually be fading, but it doesn't appear to be the case with so-called "rustic looking" dinnerware. And that is probably because the demand for "fresh" and locally sourced foods and "handcrafted" products of all types seems to not be so much of a trend, but more of a seismic, long-term change in the way we desire to live our lives. Dinnerware from producers such as Jono Pandolfi or Steelite with their Craft line help to reinforce that desire and give restaurateurs an easy way to bring more of that feeling to the restaurant dining experience. Designer Kastner's products also change the experience for the diner, as well, albeit in a different, more inventive way. The practicalities of the hospitality industry remain, but the need for operators to fulfill the dining patron's demand for an overall dining experience is key. More and more....Tabletop Matters. To read the WSJ online article, go here: http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-latest-farm-to-table-trend-rustic-dishes-1412102692?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLE_Video_second
To complete here winning design, Delia used the following products from these top tabletop companies:
Oval Server Dish – Jono Pandolfi Nick & Nora Cocktail Glass – Steelite Welsh Slate – Steelite Twist Flatware – Sambonet Table Lighting - Norex White Sedona Sidedish – Steelite Branch Style Bowl – Eastern Tabletop Bormioli Rocco Water Glasses - Steelite Sticky Bricks – Eastern Tabletop Platinum "Skin" B&B Plate - Rosenthal
Pandolfi counts among his customers chefs like April Bloomfield, who along with Ken Friedman, is bringing San Francisco's legendary TOSCA back to life. Marcus Ware from Aureole and Marcus Jernmark from Aquavit are two other signature chefs that he currently is working with, but Pandolfi is long known for his high-profile dinnerware collaborations with chefs like Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NoMad), Matt Lightner (Atera), and Wylie Dufresne (wd~50), as well as his custom tabletop pieces that showcase each chef's creations.
photo by Francesco Tonelli Jono Pandolfi is not your typical eclectic and busy artist. He's a man who is also focused on a mission to improve the tabletop landscape and the sensory experience called restaurant dining. Cutting-edge in his designs, Jono Pandolfi's work reflects a delicate balance between bold, spontaneous design and meticulous craftsmanship - both counter-balanced with an understanding of the practical world of restaurant dining and the need to provide a unique culinary experience to the dining guest. Pandolfi is known for his high-profile dinnerware collaborations with chefs like Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NoMad), Matt Lightner (Atera), and Wylie Dufresne wd~50), as well as his custom tabletop and lighting products for restaurant design firms like AvroKo and Parts and Labor Design. Pandolfi also designs and manufactures for retail clients like Calvin Klein Collection, Anthropologie, and Crate & Barrel. Maintaining his studio and production facility in Union City, New Jersey, Jono Pandolfi is a faculty member in the Product Design department of the Parsons the New School for Design. We visited with Jono recently and had the opportunity to ask him about his dinnerware for restaurants and his overall vision for tabletop: How did you get started in the ceramic dinnerware business for restaurants? It goes back to 2004 when the MoMA was renovated. A close friend, Will Guidara, was working on terrace 5 and cafe 2, two of the resto's there operated by Danny Meyer. I had recently landed in the city and was working at a ceramics studio in chelsea. Sensing an opportunity, I offered to provide some bud vases or small porcelain pieces to the restaurant, free of charge. They of course paid me but in the end I got what I wanted- my pieces in the MoMA. Making dinnerware and serving pieces for restaurants is tough. Usually, artisans are ok with supplying a few pieces here and there….how do you supply whole restaurants? I have truly worked my way up in terms of growing my production capacity slowly, and in different ways. Some production is done here in my studio, and I also work with some larger plants here in the US for bigger projects. It's really been a matter of looking at how I produce ware, and really streamlining that as much as possible. Looking at it not only from the side of the potter, but also the side of the product designer. You’ve made such creative, custom dinnerware and serving pieces for some of New York’s best restaurants – Eleven Madison Park, Nomad….how can other restaurants outside of the NYC area buy your dinnerware? What I am really excited about for 2013 is a new collection that I am developing for a broader range of customers. It will be centered around a few basic shapes- dinner plate, salad plate, a couple sizes of bowl, good versatile pieces. From there I can add in a few custom accent pieces whether it be the coffee and espresso cup, a special charger of some kind, you get the idea. By keeping the staples in stock in bisque form, I can make a custom, accented dinnerware line in my customer's choice of clay body and glaze, in a relatively short turnaround time and with lower minimum quantities. When that is ready to go we will definitely be looking to expand beyond the NYC market. Your pieces are very creative – either through their shape design or the textured glazes that you use. How well do your pieces hold up to the rigors of a hospitality dining setting? So far the NoMad hotel has been very very happy with the durability of the product. That's a really good thing. I am always focused on making dinnerware that not only heightens a customer's experience, but also serves all the other needs of the restaurant, such as holding up under daily use. I am always looking for ways to improve what I have already figured out, as well. What can hospitality customers expect next from Jono Pandolfi? Well, I am really excited about launching my new studio collection and taking that to a wider audience while maintaining the quality and feel of what I have done for NoMad and Eleven Madison Park. Today's whole emphasis on local ingredients, and farm-to-table cuisine makes it, I think, a really appealing option for restauranteurs. My whole aesthetic is based around simplicity and letting the beauty of the materials speak for themselves, much in the same way that many chefs work. I call it rustic-modern. It's definitely a subtle yet enduring style.
Keep a watch on Jono Pandolfi and his designs. He may very well be changing the landscape and the restaurant dining experience at a restaurant near you.
Was this the coolest new tabletop item of the just completed IHMRS Show in New York?
Jono Pandolfi Designs cup and saucer (in both coffee and espresso size) from their Eleven Madison Park Collection. The collection's coffee-colored matte finish, textured glaze on the outside gives the guests a sensory experience to the touch and the smooth glazed interior makes for a unique and memorable coffee and espresso drinking experience. Chefs and restaurateurs who want do something new interesting on their tables would be wise to look at Made in The USA products from this artistic source. Hard to say if this was the single coolest new tabletop product, but for sure it was among a handful of very interesting new items for those who are serious about elevating and differentiating the dining experience for their guests. With the recent terrible storm hitting the New York area and millions still without power up and down the East Coast of America, we did not quite know what to expect from this year's International Hotel/Motel Restaurant Show here in New York. Keep in mind that many of the exhibitors entire booths, samples, literature sent in for the show were destroyed by flooding and plans had to be, in some cases, totally re-done from the very beginning. So, our hats go off to not only the exhibitors, but to the trucking companies, the set-up people, the Javits Center staff, and finally to George Little Management who manages the show. Without what had to be extraordinary efforts from everyone, we doubt this show could have taken place. So, kudos to all for the determination and flexibility that allowed this show to go on as scheduled.
These are but a few of the exciting tabletop products showcased here at the show. We saw many others and will be commenting on those in the days to come. Now, off to Day 2.
|
We support the
Shouldn't you?
Ment'or Inspiring Culinary Excellence Archives
November 2021
Categories
All
|