KNHR's Top Drawer

New Tableware Collection at AmericasMart

If you’re heading to AmericasMart Atlanta this week, there’ll be plenty to check out, including a new line of licensed tableware. Sorella Home signed a licensing agreement with the Ernest Hemingway brand in April for a new tableware, barware and home décor collection. And you can preview that collection at the AmericasMart Atlanta show, opening tomorrow. The line will include handpainted ceramics, stoneware and period-inspired pewter and barware. Learn a little more about AmericasMart at our website, kitchenwarenews.com, and in our July issue.

Show Off with Anchor Signature

Have I mentioned my recent interest in serveware? I’m mostly all about bowls and platters right now. In fact, for Christmas, I requested new serving dishes as a present from my good friend (and former associate editor of KNHR, Jenna Crisostomo!). Aside from an obsession with most things kitchen-related and a need to have my kitchen overrun by kitchenware products, I really just love the way it looks when I present dinner on a serving plate. It looks nice, and it feels as though you’ve gone the extra mile. They’re also a great way to show off your delicious meals. I’m telling you this so that you understand why I’m an admirer of Anchor Hocking’s recently released Anchor Signature Troy collection.

The collection includes a serving plate, a 7-inch dish, 9-inch serving bowl, 13-inch canape tray, 12-inch pedestal plate, and 12-inch serving platter. The serving pieces are designed with a round silhouette in a cut-glass pattern with radiating lines. Prices range between $16.99 and $24.99. Anchor Hocking also offers a variety of other serveware pieces, bakeware, prepware, and more.

Anchor Signature Troy 12-inch pedestal

Attitude with Vietri's Bellezza Tomato Red collection

If there is one color I can't resist, it's red. A few years ago I decided that my color was red. It's what I call a feisty color. It's bright and noticeable and I won't lie, red also looks really good on me. So if you're like me, and you have a passion for red, and a passion for kitchenware, and you want to make your table pop with attitude and color, might I suggest Vietri's new Bellezza Tomato Red collection? The collection includes dishware and serveware. It is handmade terra cotta made in Tuscany, and some of the pieces (charger, dinner, salad, berry bowl, pasta/soup bowl, cereal bowl, mug, canape plate and condiment bowl) are microwaveable.

Plating in Style with Corelle Square Collection

I host a dinner party every week. I know you don’t believe me, because who would do that to themselves, but I do. Every Tuesday night, I have anywhere between 10 and 15 friends over for a homemade dinner. It’s a fun tradition that’s been going on for a little over a year, but the problem with it is that I’ve started to need more dinnerware. A single girl living on her own thinks she won’t need more than one set of dishes—four plates, four bowls, four glasses and you call it a day. But a girl who loves to entertain and believes in “the more, the merrier” needs a few more than four plates and bowls.

That’s why I was so excited to receive the news about Corelle’s new dinnerware patterns. Corelle has launched 17 patterns across five different lines. My favorite is the Corelle Square collection. I love the modern look and clean lines of the square-shaped plates and bowls, and the simple yet elegant patterns. I can definitely see mixing and matching the sand and sky pattern and the fine lines pattern on my kitchen table every week at dinner. The dishes are microwave and dishwasher safe, break and chip resistant, lightweight, scratch-resistant designs and offered in 16-piece sets with a three-year limited warranty. The plates and bowls are made of glass and the mugs are porcelain. Suggested retail price is $69.99.

Why yes, you would look lovely on my dinner table.

Top photo is the Fine Lines pattern, and bottom photo is the Sand and Sky pattern.

Introductions & Core Bamboo's Shallow Bowls

Kitchenware News & Housewares Review is jumping back into the blogging spirit from a temporary time-out! I am KNHR’s new resident blogger and Associate Editor, Carrie Bui, replacing Kelly Lewis. Kelly has left for South American adventures, and I encourage you to read about them at her site, Travel Bug Juice.

As a devoted home cook, you can rest assured that I’ll be bringing you all the latest and greatest in kitchenware and housewares news and products. We’ll be oohing and aahing over them together, starting with these beautiful shallow bowls from Core Bamboo. Core Bamboo’s President Alan Bram took a few minutes to share a few highlights about these bowls and a few other pieces from Core’s product line. The really fantastic thing about the bowls (and all of Core’s products) is not only are they gorgeous (look at that shiny finish!), but they’re all-natural, too. The bowls are handcrafted from organically grown bamboo, made with water-based adhesives and the lacquer finish is food-safe and derived from cashew nut trees. Core offers the bowls in seven finishes and will also customize for customers looking to match a specific color.

KNHR Has A New Editor!

Kitchenware News & Housewares Review welcomes Joanne Friedrick as its new editor. Joanne replaces Karen Martin, who is leaving to pursue other interests. She can be reached at joanne_f@oser.com and at 207-780-8656. As you’ll note from the telephone number, Joanne is also based in Portland, Maine. She is a former editor of Gourmet News and has wide-ranging experience as a free-lance writer.

Please join me in welcoming her to Kitchenware News.

Kelly Lewis continues as KNHR’s new associate editor. Kelly joined the magazine staff last month, and her first contribution will appear on the front cover of the January issue. You can reach her at Kelly_l@oser.com and at 520-721-1300.

Publisher Karen Taylor, based in Los Angeles, can still be reached at Karen_t@oser.com and at 323-512-5113.

 

Gourmet Housewares Show Moves To New York In 2011

GLM, LLC, owner of the Gourmet Housewares Show, has announced that the show is moving to New York in January, 2011. No Gourmet Housewares Show will be held in 2010. In January, 2011, the Gourmet Housewares Show will be co-located within the New York International Gift Fair. GLM is hoping that some of the 150 new exhibitors it expects at NYIGF as a result of the move will also exhibit in the fall NYIGF show.

Now Designs New Dandelion Print

Based on the amount of new product coming into the office in the last couple of weeks, the January shows are going be exciting.

One of my favorites for the week is Now Designs' new Dandelion Print collection, offered on tabletop as well as aprons.

According to the company, the Dandelion is a stylized botanical print inspired by 1950’s fabrics and quirky organic plant and flower shapes.  The yellow tones are cherry; the navy blue accents are a nice contrast.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words – so true when talking about a print.  The tabletop retails for $7 a pate or mug. The apron sells for $25.

Now Designs will be at the NYIGF in January.

Plant Some Seeds with OOTS!

OOTS! offers a great set of placemats made from biodegradable and recycled fibers, seeds and plant material. And, the something special about this product is that the seed mats can actually be planted!

The seed placemats are made by Symphony Handmade Seed Papers in New Mexico and distributed by OOTS. The company has the exclusive distribution rights.

I’m showing you the Chasta Daisies Placemats – daisies being everyone’s favorite happy flower. The placemats are sold in a set of 8 along with place cards for $44 (retail).

They also have seasonal themed ornament shapes – such as Snowman, Angel, Dove, Pine Tree, Planet Earth, Reindeer, Star, and Star of David as well as Holiday Ornament Cards (Angel, Dove, Leaf (for Thanksgiving), Pine Tree, Reindeer, Snowflake and Star).

You can see the seed papers in person at NYIGF this Jan.

10 Days and Counting

It’s time to dress up the serveware sections of your stores in preparation for Thanksgiving – just 10 days away! I know I was checking out the condition of my serving pieces and matching them up with planned dishes in preparation for the big day of entertaining.

I’ll be hunting for a special piece or two to add on and spruce up my collection of special occasion pieces this week. 

Mary Jurek Design sent in this great set of salad servers last week. They would be a fantastic addition to almost any style of tabletop. The Orion Horn Salad Server set is handmade from stainless steel. This Los Angeles based company creates and distributes fine tableware with an “old world meets modern day” flare. The suggested retail price for the servers is $160.