 Deshoulières SEYCHELLES dinnerware comes in a variety of color finishes and is commercial dishwasher safe. With the upcoming NRA Show in Chicago, one company that we are excited to catch up with is Deshoulières. After an impressive first exhibition in the Spring show in NYC recently, this French producer of upscale porcelain has since opened its US subsidiary, Deshoulières Apilco USA, in NYC. With its new branch, the French hard porcelain producer will dedicate itself to the North American hospitality market, through direct approach of both high quality, well designed products, and quality customer service.
| With Deshoulieres' new focused strategy for the North American market comes new product lines, broader choices, and tailor-made services....each responding to the high standards of the hospitality professionals from both an asethetic and a practical perspective. The creation of the new subsidiary will allow Deshoulieres to work directly with their customers, in the US and Canada, and serve their needs at their best.
Founded in 1826, the Deshoulières Group is today one of the leading French porcelain manufacturers. The company's two brands Deshoulieres Chef (DC) and Apilco supply hotels, restaurants and other professionals around the globe and already in NYC with customers such as Café Boulud, La Grenouille, Gramercy Tavern and more.
 Deshoulières EPURE |  Apilco's ACQUA | There always has to be a first step before there can a second. Deshoulières has begun to take that first step in the hospitality market for this part of the world. With the style and quality of their products, we have no doubt that North American restaurants and hotels will find this French producer très intéressant.
You can see Deshoulières/Apilco at booth #6159 in Chicago.
TabletopJournal isn't much into reviews of restaurants unless they have some tie-back to the tabletop, but this Emirates Woman review of SAFFRON Asian restaurant in Dubai's Atlantis Hotel caught our eye. First of all, SAFFRON's decor was designed by Adam Tihany, which is always a reason for us to give it a more thorough lookover. With a design from Adam, we're not surprised the reviewer used words like "dining drama" or described the "20 live theatrical cooking stations". Pretty standard as any Tihany design is about more than just the good food and drink. Adam designs consider the entire experience. Adam's experience as a restaurateur himself insures that the practical operational issues are all completely addressed, as well. But, what also caught our eye was the reviewer's description of the music of SAFFRON: "Not only do the Saffron spin-doctors play the best music we’ve ever heard during a brunch, but they play the best we’ve ever heard in Dubai, full stop! Classic soul, funk and 1980s tunes ensure the party is constantly in full flow." Talk about differentiating the dining experience. We always knew Adam was a party guy. You can read the entire SAFFRON review by going here: http://emirateswoman.com/2013/05/01/the-review-saffron-brunch-at-mall-of-the-emirates/#.UYFL5rWsiSo
The new DRIFT shape from Vertex China is showcased in its new website, along with the company's growing range of versatile hospitality tabletop products.
Vertex China is at it again. Redefining versatility. The new dinnerware design DRIFT from Vertex will bring multiple benefits to virtually any foodservice operation. Benefits to an restaurant or banquet operator will include cost reduction, expanded opportunities, and heightening the dining experience.  The wave-like design of both items in DRIFT allows the creativity of the chef to come alive! With its versatile shape, DRIFT from Vertex is the perfect design to allow for the introduction of new menu items, while at the same time reducing operator costs through a reduction in the number of overall serving pieces needed. Extremely versatile and flexible, these plates define multi-tasking. DRIFT can be used for multiple courses, ranging from appetizers through deserts, eliminating the need for multiple plates. Vertex China's newest introduction has a bright white body color that will match most tabletops, so they can be introduced at any time. Finally, the wave-like design of DRIFT separates the food and controls portions, reducing food costs. Visually, the wave-like design is harmonizing and aesthetically pleasing. New DRIFT from Vertex is both contemporary and elegant simultaneously. The squared shape is modern and edgy, yet the elevated ridges add an elegant and softer feel to the plate. Combine this look with the creative use of sauces and plating to add a “wow” factor to any serving. Vertex China. Versatility Redefined. To check out the new Vertex China website and see the entire range of hospitality tabletop products from Vertex, go here: http://www.vertexchina.com/
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, famed French porcelain maker Bernardaud reached out to various artists around the world to create their vision of the company. Paris artist Sarkis created the KINTSUGI design.
Founded in 1863, Bernardaud is the premier manufacturer of fine Limoges porcelain and proudly benefits from five generations of familial leadership. The company creates hotel and restaurant collections that bear in mind the operational constraints of luxury hotel and restaurants. The hallmark of Bernardaud is its commitment that every hotel and restaurant product is made to exacting quality standards that offer unmatched durability and creativity in design. Bernardaud recurrently partners with artists, designers, and chefs in the production of hospitality collections that are imbued with unrivaled beauty and luminosity. The company specializes in custom-order services and its collections are used by top-tier hotel and restaurant properties throughout the world. To celebrate its 150 years anniversary, Bernardaud has gone to meet the world of art by asking moviemakers, photographers and artists to bring their view of the company’s work and its image. It shows a three-part exhibition that shows how porcelain is present, living, luminous, sensual and inspiring. Among the artists chosen by Bernardaud is the Paris-based Sarkis, who described his inspiration for the project this way: | | “I had two sources of inspiration for the Kintsugi service. First, what if I held a dinner for 12 very different guests... would they get along? Second, I am fascinated by a 16th-century Japanese technique known as Kintsugi. The idea is to make visible repairs in fired ceramic using a mix of lacquer and gold, which increases the esthetic value. One might call it "the archeology of the future"! In other words, even if many copies of a plate exist, what counts is the original unit. Each plate is unique, because I made different repairs on each one, as if it were a precious ancient object. Like an archeologist adding value to objects that are found.
In the workshops in Limoges, I worked like a calligrapher, highly concentrated, and did all 12 plates in the same sitting. Inspiration struck like lightning."
Bernardaud's KINTSUGI, designed by Sarkis, is sold as a set of 12 individually designed dinner plates.
Sarkis, a French artist of Armenian origin, was born in Istanbul in 1938 and studied painting and interior architecture before moving to France in 1964. In 1967, he won the prize for painting awarded at the Paris Biennal. In 1969, he was invited by the great art critic Harald Szeermann to take part in an exhibition When Attitudes Become Form, which has been famous ever since:
"My work is always related to memory. Everything that I have experienced in my life is in it. " For more than 35 years, Sarkis has been imagining scenes constructed from stories inspired as much by a sense of place - memories inherent to particular places - as his own personal memories. He uses a variety of media (e.g. watercolors, video and sculpture) and materials (e.g. neon, magnetic tape and copper) and confronts objects from different contexts or cultures. This has given his body of work a unique poetic dimension that reveals a profound humanism and a great familiarity with world history. Sarkis has exhibited at many international exhibitions such as the Pompidou Center (Paris), Boymans Museum (Rotterdam), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Geneva). His work is held in many public and private collections. He has been living and working in Paris since 1964. To learn more about Bernardaud and it's hotel and restaurant collection of tabletop products, go here: http://www.bernardaud.fr/hotel-restaurant-fr13.html
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Design.....often it's just a matter of perspective. | |
For those of you who like to come directly to our blog page....be sure to take a minute and go to our conversation with HLC Dinnerware's Director of Design Ed Wonder. It's on our Welcome page and several of you have mentioned that you hadn't seen it, so we thought we'd post a mention of it it here, too. Check out Ed's short video....he's a rockstar! To read - and hear - what Ed has to say about design, go here: http://www.tabletopjournal.com/ |
HLC Dinnerware's Director of Design, Ed Wonder
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RAK Porcelain’s innovative, design-driven, yet practical products contribute to shaping the positive image of the brand and raising its profile on an international scale. They have been playing a decisive role in RAK’s global commercial success since 2005. Based in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, RAK Porcelain is part of the RAK Ceramics industrial group, the world’s largest producer of ceramics. Featuring ultramodern production facilities, RAK’s current production capacity is 16 million pieces of porcelain a year, certified to the highest quality standards. The group has a turnover of one billion dollars. RAK Porcelain invests heavily in the design of its collections. To this end, RAK calls on the best in terms of designers. Mikaela Dörfel and the couple Dominique and Alain Vavro have enjoyed the trust of RAK Porcelain for years, building a strong and reliable partnership with the porcelain producer, designing not only asthetically pleasing products, but products that meet the practical demands of the hospitality industry, as well.
| | | Mikaela Dörfel
Finnish-born Mikaela Dörfel has owned her own creative studio in Hamburg since 1997. She has learned her trade at leading international porcelain manufacturers. The artist’s design is heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture. “I get my inspiration from nature and simple shapes as well as clear structures”, the artist reveals.
Her Hamburg studio focuses mainly on porcelain tableware designs and has worked for some of the world’s greatest porcelain producers in Europe, America and Asia.
She has created numerous collections for RAK Porcelain including the newest, NABUR, inspired by nature.
| | | Dominique and Alain Vavro
The French couple Dominique and Alain Vavro have been at the forefront of French creation for several decades now. The two artists met at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyons and have been working hand-in-hand ever since. The Vavro couple settled on the banks of the River Saône, a stone’s throw away from Paul Bocuse’s restaurant, where they fell in love with the world of haute cuisine.
Driven by the love of tableware, they understand the needs of the trade and their designs reflect different atmospheres that are as elegant as they are practical, allowing RAK Porcelain to bring innovative and stylish solutions to the world of hotels and catering.
| | Here are a few testimonials for design, innovation, and practicality of RAK Porcelain: Othmar Schlegel, chef of the Restaurant Castello del Sole, Ascona, Switzerland “The quality of RAK Porcelain is appreciated as much by our staff for its functionality as by our clientele for its aesthetics. Every day, we are delighted to have chosen RAK.” Sébastian Bontour, chef of the Restaurant La Cour des Lions, Marrakech, Morocco “We were won over by RAK Porcelain’s products and have literally adjusted our cooking to them as their added value really stands out – our creativity is highlighted with clarity and refinement.” Léa Linster, chef of the restaurant Léa Linster, Frisange, Luxembourg “RAK Porcelain offers functional benefits that meet our expectations. Its design lends itself very well to haute cuisine and contributes to the inspiration for our new creations. Our clients never feel like they are being served twice in the same dishes.”To learn more about and to see the entire collection of hospitality dinnerware from RAK Porcelain, go here: http://www.rakporcelain.eu/
 Designer Martin Kastner discusses the attention to detail and passion that goes into each piece of the Crucial Detail collection that brings the focus back to food and elevating the dining experience for the restaurant guest. A question we’re often asked at TabletopJournal is what makes Steelite so special and how do they continue to grow their business? After spending much of today in product review sessions where new product after new product was showcased, along with new uses and updates for existing products….you might well assume that the answers to be those questions would be product related. | After all, today they had 13 rooms reviewing Steelite and partner company products, with no shortage of creative tabletop in sight….each room offering its own new, creative arrow for the Steelite USA sales quiver. As a tabletop leader, to the outside world it might easily appear that it’s the products and the prices they sell them at that gets Steelite to its leadership rung on the tabletop ladder.
And, while strong sales and profit growth were highlighted in the morning’s opening session…it is the growth in Steelite as a leadership brand that stands out among the many positive highlights.
|  Steelite's new WNK pattern JAVA is an example of a creative re-vamp of a classic flatware pattern done in 18-10 stainless steel. | However, from what I have witnessed in my very short visit at this sales conference, it’s far more about the people – and their passion – than it is about the individual product that leads to the success at Steelite. While their products are the most creative products of their types, in the end what is impressive is how the Steelite people use these products to provide solutions to their customer’s tabletop problems.
From VP, National Accounts Tony Taneal to Denver area Sales Rep Ron Gallman to Tabletop Specialist Mary Beth Miller to Midwest Sales Manager Jack Eaton…. they all shared the passion for selling tabletop with each individual encounter we had with them, as did many others whose names I didn't get. It is this passion for providing tabletop solutions that seems to run throughout the Steelite organization.
Today’s product breakout sessions were a good example. Each upbeat and fast moving session was run by a knowledgeable expert whose passion and energy was on full display. You saw it in the informal hallway gatherings - discussing this product or that...how they might work to solve a particular customer's problem. Other companies may try to compete on a product basis, but Steelite seems to be competing on a talent basis….and their inventory of talent runs deep.
 Steelite's recent acquisition of Royal Crown Derby is already yielding new products. Royal Crown Derby Entertains is introducing six bone china patterns all made in England, reinforcing the brand's "self assured" authenticity. So, while there can be no doubt that Steelite has some truly creative products – with many more on the way - it is the people and their talent – and, yes, their passion - that are perhaps this company’s most impressive assets.
 Figgjo Porcelain, from Norway, introduces their new FELT and PISA hospitaltiy tabletop collections continuing a tradition of clean-lined designs and practicality required by the restaurant and catering trade. With it's clean design lines, along with their progressive curves and shapes, Figgjo is one of our favorite European hospitality tabletop companies. And, for the Spring show season, they have introduced two new exciting collections - FELT and PISA. Figgjo's new FELT features four versatile round plates that can be used in a variety of situations to serve from just one guest to several thousand.The plates feature surfaces at different levels, providing the chef with a broad range of serving possibilities. Create a larger or smaller eating surface, or a traditional or unusual experience – all from the same plate. | Figgjo FELT combines uncompromising functionality with exciting design. The plates stack well no matter how they are turned in relation to each other. Together with Figgjo Europa, Figgjo FELT covers all sizes of round plates to meet all needs.
The three cups in the Figgjo FELT range have a clean and friendly appearance. The stepwise division enables the cups to be stacked effectively, without the functional appearance that stacking cups often have. The cups are suitable for use in a variety of situations, and all three can be used either with or without saucers.
|  New FELT from Figgjo features off-center well areas for the plates and a variety of well designed accompanying pieces. |  Figgjo's design team of Tonje Sandberg and Constance Kristiansen discuss the latest hospitality dinnerware designs to come from the creative Norwegian tabletop company. | With Figgjo's new PISA (shown at left) bowls and lids, it is possible to build slanting towers of stacked bowls. The angled bowls come in two sizes, and can be used for a variety of purposes, from serving individual portions in one bowl with a lid, to serving shared dishes in higher stacks. Naturally, the bowls are also suitable for more traditional uses.
The lid has a slight curve to its surface, and therefore also functions as a small plate, either alone or in combination with the bowl.
The simple, angular style means that Figgjo PISA works well with most other products in the Figgjo range.
Figgjo products are designed to accompany one another. Create your own unique solution depending on the desired function and expression. By adding new products you create new experiences on the table – changing tables.
|  Figgjo's new PISA bowls and lids | Figgjo AS is a trendsetting porcelain manufacturer for the professional kitchen that's known for being innovative having been confirmed by a number of design awards. Sold through partner companies in 28 countries around the world, Figgjo products are found in the most prestigious hotels and restaurants, canteens, and institutions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. To learn more about Figgjo and their collection of creative tabletop serving pieces for the hospitality industry, go here: http://figgjo.no/en/
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