Houston chefs drawn to the pottery scene
In the chaos of the opening months at Money Cat, a modern Japanese restaurant in Upper Kirby, chef de cuisine Jio Dingayan and his colleagues spent more time in the kitchen than their own homes.
When Dingayan needed a break, he found comfort behind a pottery wheel: the focus, steady hands and attention to detail required in throwing clay was similar to how cooks work in kitchens.
The amount of force the 23-year-old chef pushed down on a mound of wet clay was not too different from the exactness in ensuring strands of buttery pasta crowned with lobes of sea urchin were al dente. Or when he helped check to make sure cutlets of chicken katsu were fried to a golden, crispy texture.
“Cooking in a restaurant requires you to strive for perfection,” Dingayan said. “Ceramics can feel that way, but you have a different sense of freedom.”
Chefs and foodies across the country have jumped into ceramics the past few years, especially during the pandemic. But for professional cooks, whose worlds are often peppered with buzzwords like “artisanal” and “handcrafted,” pottery has become as much an outlet for their creativity as a desire to control everything that appears on the plate.
“Chefs are artists, too. There’s a control in creating it yourself,” Dingayan said.
At Michelin-starred restaurants, fine-dining chefs have long held reputations for overseeing every detail large and small.
Today, it feels normal for a growing number of chefs to treat pottery like produce. They’re searching for plates, bowls and cups that best present their creations.
At Jun, chefs and owners Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu spent time in a ceramics studio learning how to work with clay. While they sourced handmade plates from Oaxaca, they also made a few items, including water pitchers and small utensil holders.
Brandi Key, the culinary director of Dish Society and Daily Gather, also went to Third Coast Clay in the Heights, where Garcia and Lu learned to work with clay. She signed up for classes during the pandemic after scrolling through Instagram and becoming obsessed with pottery content.
She was seeking inspiration because her day-today job had no longer required her to be behind the stove or cutting board at all hours.
“I felt very comfortable (with pottery) because I’ve always used my hands,” Key said.
Many chefs focus on dinnerware with the same intensity they reserve for a perfectly grilled fish filet or a clear pho broth simmering with the fragrance of star anise and ginger.
At Money Cat, Dingayan and the team bought plates from Era Ceramics, which has been used at local restaurants such as Justin Yu’s European-inspired Theodore Rex and Tyson Cole’s crowd-favorite modern Japanese spot Uchi.
The Era plates were not only sturdy, but the neutral, cool tones also complemented the minimalist design of Money Cat’s dining room.
Dingayan visited the Eras Ceramics studio in Smithville, about an hour southeast of Austin, before the restaurant opened in January 2023. He even got some tips for making his own dinnerware.
Chefs who have fallen for pottery often describe the experience as meditative and soothing when compared to the pressures of running a restaurant.
When Key first tried pottery, she was focused on precision and would use a ruler to make sure everything was perfect. Now she’s more comfortable with “having a little bit of imperfection because it’s a piece of the story.”
She’s created fish herbs. One day, Key said she hopes to install a pottery wheel in her home.
The number of chefs and home cooks who have become interested in ceramics is not a complete surprise to Third Coast Clay owner Lotus Bermudez.
“I think food tastes better in a handmade vessel,” Bermudez said. “There’s something really intimate about putting a cup to your lips or eating from a plate someone made with their own hands.”
“That connection is really important for people in the food industry,” Bermudez added.
Third Coast Clay’s studio space has grown since opening a decade ago, and according to Bermudez, attendance has more than tripled in the past few years. They fire 1,500 to 3,500 pieces of pottery in a kiln each week, she said.
Ceramics became so popular that in summer 2020, HBO Max debuted episodes of “The Great Pottery Throw Down,” a show that mimicked “The Great British Bake Off.” Celebrities such as Seth Rogen and Brad Pitt have regularly posted their pottery projects on social media.
The hands-on aspect of pottery is appealing to many chefs, said Dingayan, who worked as a pastry chef before he moved over to the savory side as chef de cuisine at Money Cat. He throws clay at a studio in Stafford about once a week.
Dingayan said he hopes to one day offer a 10- to 12-course tasting menu at Money Cat — all served on his own ceramics.
The restaurant is currently home to about 40 of Dingayan’s pieces. He handmade a vessel to pour dry ice into a bonsai dessert, which is composed of a miniature tree made of chocolate anchored by fruit-flavored mousse, ice cream and sponge cake soaked in hojicha tea.
In addition to the matcha bowls and water carafes Dingayan has already created, he plans to design more plates. He recently traveled to Japan and attended a workshop to learn Japanese techniques for his dinnerware, which are all dishwasher safe.
“I think our dishwashers would quit if they had to wash all these by hand,” he said.