A time for celebration, a time for conversation, a time for happiness, this is FEAST
We remember when Ottolenghi first opened its doors in Islington, our local neighbourhood restaurant at the time. One of many eateries and deli type food stores popping up on the main Upper Street. It did however stand out and lit up not only the high street but our world of food.
We treated ourselves to their take-away treats most weekends. Their amazing tarts and spectacular huge cloud-like puffs of white meringues became a Saturday night staple, a deliciously sweet hand-crafted finale after indulging in their inspiring piles of vegetable-laden salads that we often partnered with grilled meats.
The meringues have since become the Ottolenghi trademark, adorning their deli windows and tempting us all in to the Ottolenghi experience.
The Ottolenghi Experience
There is definitely an Ottolenghi experience. A way that is uniquely Ottolenghi. Created from Yotams’ inspirations and passions it attacks all your senses, sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
The surprise of flavour plays a crucial role. The creation of “flavour bombs”, an important part of Ottolenghi food, is an arsenal of tongue-tingling ingredients which has inspired the FEAST tableware. The pairing of flavour combinations is replaced with the eclectic mix of textures, finishes and a riot of colour that echo the food Ottolenghi serve. “The FEAST plates are like different spices” Ivo, Ottolenghi’s co creative explains. “It is the combination and proportion of the different components that will define the flavour.”
The result is a colourful aesthetic that gives every user the personal freedom to create a celebration, a true feast,every single day. The new FEAST tableware is utterly delicious.
Abundance, freshness, celebration and surprise, the Ottolenghi trademark of food made with love, a bit of flair and lots of attention to detail is exactly what you will find in everything that Yotam touches, and this range of tableware is no exception to the rule.
FEAST, as the word describes is a gathering of many components an eclectic mix of shapes and sizes with vibrant colours and different patterns all evoking the typical Ottolenghi feeling of ‘outrageous casualness’. “We have tried to tell the Ottolenghi story in objects. A story of the tension between the earthy and the sophisticated, passion and refinement, tradition and novelty. Opposites existing together in dynamic harmony”
Designed and developed with Serax and in collaboration with his friend Italian artist Ivo Bisignano. Yotam describes Ivo’s art as being “… honest, expressive, bold, joyful and colourful. Attributes we strive to achieve in our food.”
The decoration that adorns the range is in celebration of Ottolenghi’s love of vegetables, his mission to present them in new and exciting ways and ingredients once seen as ‘exotic’. A meal which is full of colour, flavour, bounty and sunshine. Ivo comments “I have drawn thousands of vegetables in this process trying to achieve the effect of stamping actual vegetables on a plate”. Yotams favourite plate is the turquoise platter with a gold ‘stamped’ pepper.
The new FEAST collection reflects everything its creator stands for.
The products
“I have always been obsessed with the platters we display our food on in our delis… The way food is presented is as important as its taste…” Yotam Ottolenghi.
FEAST tableware is made of hardwearing stoneware with a semi glazed finish. Traditional moulding techniques are used in the manufacturing of the stoneware pieces and decorated with a simple stamp effect and hand-painted decals. The tableware is microwave proof and dishwasher safe, except for any items with gold decal decoration which should be handwashed. The range is not oven proof.
Launching with two wine glasses, one for white and one for red, the glasses can of course be used for anything from water to soda to juices and cocktails. Etched marks in the foot of the glasses in white and gold adds a further element of eclecticism to the collection. Glassware is mouthblown and best handwashed.
Characterised by their curvaceous shapes, the beautifully tactile FEAST cutlery made from walnut and stainless steel, provides an elegant accompaniment to the brightly coloured plates and bowls. The wooden platters are handmade of Acacia wood with laser cut patterns that replicate the decorative elements on the plates, platters and bowls.
The range comes in a range of brilliantly coloured gift boxes that not only protect the products but are also a must-have on any gift list.
Yotam Ottolenghi is a British-Israeli chef, restaurateur and chef-patron of six London-based delis and restaurants. He is the author of eight best-selling cookery books, including renowned titles such as Plenty, Jerusalem, Simple and Flavour.
Well known on both sides of the Atlantic, and winning many awards in the UK and USA, Yotam has been a weekend columnist for the Saturday Guardian for over thirteen years and has also been a regular contributor to The New York Times.
Training in the 1990’s as a chef during the day, and assisting the pastry chef in a London restaurant at night, his first job in a professional kitchen was whisking egg whites to create the perfect consistency for the perfect souffle. Later putting his egg whisking credentials to another use and creating his signature Ottolenghi meringues.
He has nurtured, collaborated with and created a wealth of inspiring loyal chefs who have gone on to spread the word… He is one those wonderful people who puts you at your ease, gives you freedom to experiment, to bring your own thing to the mix and be who you are.
Read the full interview with Yotam.
Originally from Sicily, and trained as an architect, Ivo Bisignano is an artist with many different souls. His career began with fashion illustration for brands like Prada, Missoni and Fratelli Rossetti, progressed into exploring the arts with sculpture and painting and into making significant contributions in the world of media ranging from video to animation.
Often with a surrealistic approach his work has a poignant sense of nostalgia. His art is highly detailed and has a strong sense of play and irony, regularly evoking an aesthetic of the past and characterising both the real and the imaginary.
His meeting and subsequent work with renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi has led to the realisation of numerous collaborative projects, including sculptures for Ottolenghi’s London restaurants.
