Antonia Bentel: When sitting down to a meal, do you always set the table? If so, why?
Yotam Ottolenghi: Yes, I always set the table. I believe that dining should be a holistic experience, and one that transcends simply eating food. A dish isn’t complete without the vessel in which it is served in or on, and this is something I lend great consideration to. I also believe that each meal should be a celebration of both the food you’re eating and the company in which you’re enjoying it with, so it’s important to take pride in, and make an effort with your table setting.
AB: Is there an "art" to setting the table? What does that mean for you?
YO: I think it really comes down to your personal taste and style, and the sort of food that you’re eating. Most of the Ottolenghi dishes are plentiful and intended to be shared, so we like our tablescaping to reflect our manifesto of beauty, abundance and happiness.
AB: Which is your favourite piece in the collection?
YO: My favourite piece is probably the face vase, as it’s such a bold and contemporary interpretation of the traditional Sicilian Moor’s Head. It’s real got character, and brings a playful energy to the table.
AB: What is the importance of a great set of tableware? Who can benefit the most?
YO: Everyone can benefit from great tableware, and it’s not just about the aesthetics; functionality is also a key factor. The size of the sever, the curve of the cup handle and the delicacy of the glass rim are all important elements to consider for a seamless and elevated dining experience.
AB: Your recipes – and restaurants – favour ‘family-style’ serving (i.e. diners serve themselves from a platter rather than have pre-divided food). Why is that, and why is "family style" so important to you and to Ottolenghi restaurants?
YO: Sharing platters of abundant and colourful foods intended to be casually consumed is a real Middle Eastern way of eating and hosting. This is very much the way we ate when I was growing up. It’s all about generosity and big gestures, two values that we strive to communicate through our dishes in the Ottolenghi delis and restaurants.
AB: Your newest Serax homeware collection is called 'Sicily'. Do you have a special connection to the island? What was the inspiration?
YO: Our collaborator, Ivo, grew up in Sicily, and it was his upbringing that served as the inspiration for this collection. The lively vase collection unites the outside with the table, reminiscent of Sicilian alfresco dining and the traditional “Testa di Moro” (Moor’s head) ceramic pots seen throughout villages across Sicily.
AB: Coming off the success of your first homeware collection with Serax and now onto your second with the Sicily collection, what sparked your interest in homeware design?
YO: As I mentioned earlier, I feel that dining is a holistic experience and the tableware in which the food is served and enjoyed is a huge part of that experience. The Feast collection of colourful ceramics felt like a natural next step for us, enabling us to offer our clients the complete Ottolenghi experience at home. This second collaboration with Serax further expands the visual language of Ottolenghi.
AB: How involved were you in the design process – did you go it alone or collaborate with others? If the latter, with whom?
YO: Similar to with the Feast collection, we partnered with Belgian design label Serax and artist Ivo Bisignano to create these vases. Ivo’s creative vision is embedded in the same set of values as Ottolenghi; one of these values is abundance and another is irreverence. Ivo has a skill of being able to create things in a careful way, and has managed to skilfully communicate our ethos through these exuberant yet contemporary pieces.
