From north to south, in high-end restaurants, the plate is no longer a mere backdrop but a narrative element, shaped through dialogue with designers, artisans and artists
Italy’s tables have always offered a snapshot of culture and terroir: ingredients and raw materials, techniques of preservation and preparation, history and memory, tradition and innovation, seasonality and sustainability, colours and aromas. Together, these elements stir emotions that can become the added value of a dish, whether simple or elaborate. Today, especially in fine dining, this storytelling is increasingly driven by the desire to make the entire experience unique: through everything that surrounds the food, from spatial design to lighting, from textiles to the colour palette of furnishings and objects, right down to the plate itself, which is asked to express the value and provenance of what it holds. And so the plate, conceived almost as a canvas for a work of art, reveals the personality and philosophy of the chef striving to give their best and make guests happy at the table. To elevate their creations still further, chefs are increasingly collaborating with designers, artisans and artists who can interpret their vision and translate it into bespoke, dedicated, tailor-made pieces. This is happening across the country, from north to south. Pantografo travelled from the Dolomites in South Tyrol to the Costa degli Dei in Calabria, meeting both the artisans who craft tableware by hand as unique pieces and the chefs who commission them.
In San Candido, in the Pusteria Valley, Verena Leitgeb welcomed us into her workshop on the ground floor of a beautiful house designed by a renowned local architect. Crossing the threshold of her workspace is an experience in itself. It is here that Verena tells Pantografo how her work grows out of a desire to combine functionality and simplicity, taking inspiration from clean lines, harmonious forms and natural materials, with the aim of creating objects that speak a simple, honest language. “In recent years, a new sensibility has been reshaping the ceramics craft scene in South Tyrol, and my work reflects that shift,” she explains. “My research focuses on essential forms, natural surfaces and a clean aesthetic – one that gives value to everyday use while sitting naturally within the context of high-level gastronomy. In this setting, more and more direct collaborations are emerging between me and chefs, creating bespoke pieces for specific dishes. Every object is designed to enhance the course and deliver a visual, tactile and emotional impact.”
And so Verena’s creations – each one distinct – are finding their way into the region’s top gourmet restaurants. One example is the ceramics she made for chef Patrick Holzner, head of the kitchen at Hotel Muchele in Postal, near Merano, who chose shapes, colours and sizes designed to elevate his dishes. “Chefs, Michelin-starred restaurants and boutique hotels are increasingly seeking handmade objects that tell the story of the territory, the artisan and the material,” Verena continues. “Organic forms, natural surfaces, matte glazes and deliberate imperfections are becoming the new language of luxury – understated but deeply authentic. Collaborating with chefs is a constant source of inspiration for me: seeing how my ceramics fit into their creations and help enhance the diner’s experience is hugely satisfying.” In this sense, she explains, ceramics are no longer simply a container but an integral part of the dining experience: a narrative and emotional element that accompanies each dish, elevating it with elegance and uniqueness. “Alongside this, there is a strong focus on sustainability: local production, natural materials, low-impact firing and eco-friendly packaging. South Tyrolean ceramics are thus part of a conscious luxury system built on small batches, uniqueness and respect for the environment.”
From the mountains to the coast: in the intimate, enveloping setting of Ristorante De’ Minimi, inside the boutique hotel Villa Paola in Tropea, chef Emanuele Pucci tells us about his fruitful collaboration with Matteo Cormace, a local artisan able to interpret his vision through the plates he gives shape to. Local produce – especially from the vegetable garden adjacent to the restaurant – and few, intense flavours form the foundation of Pucci’s minimalist cooking philosophy. By rediscovering humble ingredients, he turns them into dishes rooted in memory yet capable of expressing themselves through a new language of taste. The same concept runs through every other aspect of the experience: from the interior design, by Palomba Serafini Associati, to the understated, essential table settings, right down to the custom-made tableware. “The collaboration with Matteo Cormace was born from a shared desire to convey the value of craftsmanship,” he tells Pantografo. “We both started our professions out of passion, and that makes for a productive exchange. He always told me about his work, how he does it, the brick kiln he built himself, the will to express his vision through craft, without anything industrial. I realised that passion and craftsmanship were guiding both his approach and mine.” And so, for example, the idea for the oil-tasting plate was born: simple, minimal, handmade – just like the bread the chef makes with artisan flours and brings to the table still warm, wrapped in a hemp cloth. The authentic gesture of dipping bread into oil brings together the chef’s craft knowledge and the artist’s skill. Later came the small sauce jugs, and now new projects are underway. “Visually, I want to convey a minimalist idea, both in the space and on the plate. I want to create an essential dish that sits visually well with the food I place on it. The same idea of elegance is interpreted through the minimalism of the dining room. When I prepare Podolica beef, for example, on the plate alongside the meat I only place the vegetables the animal fed on while grazing free-range in the fields, because the message – as well as the flavour – needs to be subtle and elegant. So the plates, too, must be restrained and essential, also so that their craftsmanship is easier to appreciate.”
What emerges from these two encounters, and from others up and down the Peninsula, is the desire to transform a meal into an experience far richer and more layered than simple consumption. The high-end restaurant becomes a stage for storytelling: not only of the chef’s culinary philosophy, but of a wider world that unfolds from the scale of the space to the furnishings, down to the objects, the plate and the other elements of the table setting. It is the result of cross-pollination between multiple players: the chef and their brigade, artisans, designers, architects and even suppliers, especially small, quality-driven ones. The trend today is to guide guests towards rediscovering a partly lost world, one worth reclaiming; once perhaps ordinary, but today taking on the form of a renewed reconciliation of the senses. Of craftsmanship, authenticity and, increasingly, sustainability.
Cover image: Dishes by chef Patrick Holzner at the restaurant of Hotel Muchele in Postal, served on handmade plates by Verena Leitgeb. Photo: Patrick Schwienbacher.
