#TabletopRadar: Robert Welch Designs

“I remember the very first day- pinning a sheet of paper to my drawing board, sharpening my pencil and thinking ‘What now?’” – Robert Welch in an interview from 1973.

Fast forward a little under a half a century and we can certainly still empathize with Mr. Welch.

With an onslaught of hospitality shows gearing up to kick off the New Year it only makes sense that a slew of new products start popping up as well. Yet after such a tremendous 2016 year for so many people, products, and places within the world of hospitality its hard to imagine what can be next to come.

A company that’s been on our #TabletopRadar leading into NAFEM and Ambiente is Robert Welch Designs. Now typically we reserve our radar for newer companies and yes, Robert Welch has been around 62 years. But what pops out to us is their lineage of rich design and progressive outlook that brings together experience with innovation, something Robert Welch Designs has a reputation and catalog of awards for.

Design that is both functional and affordable is at the core of Robert Welch Designs is all about. Which is something anybody can say about their brand, but they also published a book, Robert Welch: Design: Craft and Industry, to acclaim in 2015 chronicling the inspirations and designs that have fueled the brand since 1954.

The sleek, contemporary lines that curve elegantly throughout their entire cutlery range is what makes Robert Welch so identifiable on tabletops. Lines like their Signature Knives collection reinforce that innovative award winning brand image.

And while their cutlery is the star of the show, even their Salt and Pepper Mills are fantastic to look at and hold. They are robust enough for everyday use in the kitchen but also elegant enough to be used at the table. The body of the mills is made from an ABS material, that makes it very pretty easy to clean and maintain but also provides a smooth finish, rewarding to the touch.

The 18/10 stainless steel top is comfortably rounded and fits neatly into the hand for ease of use and to allow the grinding mechanism to be operated with minimum effort. The stainless steel top is easily removable and this, combined with the wide opening, allows convenient access to the drum for filling.

We’re not quite sure what to expect leading up to Ambiente, over the last few years the British company has expanded their range to include more cookware and other kitchen necessities. However, Robert Welch is known across the hospitality industry for their iconic cutlery and its in these examples of attention to detail that make us very excited to see what Robert Welch has up their sleeves heading into February.

-HA