“Tapas Micros” is a set of porcelain, restaurant service ware designed to accommodate a Micro Menu. The micro menu is a trend in restaurants; guests are served several (sometimes 10 or more) courses of highly conceptual and sculptural food. The small bites, or “tastings” as they are sometimes called, accentuate textures of food and simple or complex flavor pairings. The difficulty with this new trend is that modern restaurant tableware has remained the same for decades and has yet to accommodate the uniquely sculptural aspects of the food presentation. “Tapas Micros” serves to fill that void and allow chefs to prepare and present sculptural food on sculptural objects.
The purpose of this project is to understand better how these objects actually function in restaurants. My interest in restaurant service ware stems from a desire to engage multiple users on multiple levels, i.e. chef, servers, and patrons.
My ceramic forms originate from standard functional objects like a spoon, or bowl, cup, or plate while seeking to challenge a preexisting understanding of that object and it’s function. I try to engage the user by creating a moment where they must stop and rethink how they will interact with the object.
Here, Tapas Micros is show with Chef/Owner Celina Tio of Julian KC. A selection of the Tapas Micros series was used for passed hors d’oeuvres during a private dinner after hours in the restaurant in Brookside, Kansas City.
