OK, food delivery is here to stay; but you will agree with me that there is nothing like the restaurant experience: enjoying a good meal with attractive table service: tableware that speaks for itself, fine and transparent glassware, elegant and comfortable cutlery… Or with those “little gadgets” to present bread, appetizers or side dishes, which dress up the table and tempt the diner in equal parts.
There is a great desire to return to the table, to share, to enjoy gastronomy, in short… And table service returns to the restaurants with interesting proposals; let me show you a little preview:
Organic pieces that look to nature
Nature continues to inspire new tableware for the hotel and catering industry, such as the O Moon collection by Vista Alegre, a highly symbolic set by the Spanish designer Santos Bregaña, which evokes the four elements (fire, earth, air and water) through four geometric shapes: solar, lunar, eclipse and spiral. He plays with composition, proportions, structures and limits in the manipulation of material, enhancing the capture of light. The result is beautiful pieces that are very different from each other, united by an organic balance and designed to enhance any recipe.
New materials: borosilicate
Known for its spectacular tableware for catering, the company Pordamsa goes one step further and presents a new collection made of hand-blown borosilicate that will delight many chefs. These are dishes with a hollow interior, suitable for filling with leaves, flowers, etc., which enhance the experience of each dish. They have an opening for easy filling and a convenient cork stopper for closing. In this way, the cook can create his or her own dish with a fully customised interior. Creativity? unlimited…
Crafts and back to the land
A trend that continues to grow year after year is that of handcrafted tableware made up of unique, beautifully irregular pieces. For example, the new Solstice porcelain collection by Revol, presented by the Alvarez Group is a tribute to the earth. The texture, the precious roughness and the sensuality of the hand-worked materials stand out in their pieces. Docile and capricious at the same time, porcelain seems to “yield” to the artisan’s hands without allowing itself to be completely dominated. With a handcrafted manufacturing process, each piece is unique and distinct, and invites to be touched.
Rak Porcelain is also committed to craftsmanship with its Rakstone collection. Based on the premise that food is a unique experience that brings people together, the plates and bowls in this collection reflect that warm spirit while remaining affordable. Made of high-quality materials in earthy tones, they are hand-decorated, handcrafted pieces of which no two are alike. Playing with different tones and intensities also enhances the handcrafted and rustic character of this tableware.
The warmth of wood, on the table
Inoxibar proposes to bring the warmth of wood to the table with its new llauna trays with wooden base. Practical and attractive, they are perfect for serving hot and cold food (not just rice and snails, mind you), even straight from the oven. Made of 18% and 18/10 stainless steel, they are hygienic, easy to clean and very resistant. They are rectangular in shape and 2.5 cm high, with a ridge for comfortable and secure grip on both sides, and are available in three sizes.
And following this same line of combining aesthetics and functionality, Inoxibar has designed its new ice cube trays with an exterior wooden cladding, which is completed on the inside with a container with or without a grid. In this way, the ice cube trays can be dismantled for cleaning. There are three models in different sizes and colours.
Pujadas also incorporates as new tableware its llaunas with wooden or cork bases, ideal for grilled cuisine or rice dishes finished in the oven because they go straight to the table, and other practical and very modern elements such as the burger shovel for hamburgers, of its own design, which achieves an original and very fun presentation, and the practical supports for tacos, increasingly in demand, which are used to present other products, such as pastries, sandwiches…
The grace of the mini-cocottes
To surprise the diner, mini cocottes are a sure hit to present casseroles, soups, creams, appetizers, sauces, snacks… adding a rustic and colourful touch. The Magma collection of Lacor is designed to enhance the chef’s creations. They are made of high quality, BPA-free melamine, although they are deceptive to the eye and look like cast iron. They are lightweight, shock and impact resistant, hygienic and easily washable, dishwasher safe: in short, perfect for bars and restaurants.
The rise of the melamine
And continuing along these lines, watch out for the unstoppable rise of melamine: extra melamine tableware is back in fashion in catering, especially in chains, hotels and terraces, due to its modern and attractive finishes, which imitate porcelain or ceramic so closely that it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart.
It should not be forgotten that extra melamine has fundamental advantages over other materials for use in the catering industry: it resists all kinds of knocks and accidental falls; it does not scratch; it is dishwasher safe and, therefore, durable; it is perfectly resistant to high and low temperatures; it does not burn, and makes for very light and easily stackable tableware.
At García de Pou, they have a wide range of products in extra melamine: all kinds of plates and bowls in elegant matt black; plates, ramekins, cups, Chinese spoons, bowls and even omelette bowls in bright colours… and, of course, the classic white tableware with bowls and plates of all shapes and sizes.
Attention-grabbing elements
Cutlery also has its place at the table, such as the new Turin series by Lusini, on the right in the picture below, which is very elegant and light. It is a slim cutlery set made of 18/10 stainless steel with black POM (polyoxymethylene) handles. Thanks to its slim design, it fits well in the hand and is eye-catching with a “something” that makes it special. Or the eye-catching Diamante cutlery set, with a beautiful angular relief handle that is also ergonomic. The new dishwasher-safe Victoria glassware, with its high quality, fine rim and exquisite shape, is also a real eye-catcher on any table. All are in-house designs by Vega, a brand owned by Lusini together with Jobeline, Pulsiva and Erwin M., and can be purchased in their on-line shop.
The role of the chopping knife
With the rise of rotisseries, meat and charcoal-grilled cuisine, the chopping knife is an increasingly valued element that is gaining prominence at the table; there are restaurants that present them separately, with reverence, or even give the diner a choice of several models and blades. The 3 Claveles brand offers a complete range in different styles and finishes with which to dress the table and enjoy every dish. Among them, the Kobe, Gourmet, Angus, Wagyu, Bistro, Uniblock and Monoblock models, with smooth or serrated edges, and handles in chestnut, walnut, ash, ABS, POM or stainless steel… All of them offer comfort, elegance and functionality at the table.
All these products, and many more new products for the table, will be on display in the Setting space at Hostelco 2022, the specific area dedicated to tableware and table service, in Hall 6 of Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía venue. We’ll meet again in Barcelona from 4th to 7th April.
Marta Renovales, Chief Editor of (Profesionalhoreca.com)