Caroline McCutchen
When patrons visit City Grocery, they might be surprised to find that the restaurant has added a personal touch to the dining experience. Rather than plating meals on traditional white plates, select entrees are placed on handmade ceramic dishes, brought from the potter’s wheel to the tablecloths.
“We often say to one another, ‘Have you eaten the food at City (Grocery)? It was amazing, I had the…’ Handmade objects like plates and bowls can have the same effect on people, simply heightening people’s awareness to the moment, placing importance on the people you are with and making a lasting impression on the user,” Matt Long, University of Mississippi professor of ceramics, said.
The Plate Project began in 2021 as a collaboration between local chefs, including chef Andy McCowan, Reagan Spreafico and John “Coonie” Spreafico, in an effort to publicly display the ceramic and culinary arts by combining the handmade creations of ceramics students and chefs.
“This is also a way to get students involved with the community and the community to have awareness of our students through beautifully interpreted objects of utility, paired with beautifully prepared food,” Long said. “This situation can affect the user of the object, perhaps slowing them down to be affected by not just the beauty of the food, but also the beauty of the handmade.”
Last fall, City Grocery head chef Eric Tait took the helm in enlightening students in the ceramics course about the art of fine dining. In turn, Tait was able to try his hand at pottery making in Meek Hall.
“I met with them for the first time in October, and they gave the final project in December,” Tait said. “They got me out there on Halloween day, and they wanted me to come out there and see the process which was really cool. They made me get on the wheel and try to throw clay. God it’s so hard. I mean, it was surreal. I loved it.” Where is this?
With an eye for the culinary arts, Tait guided the potters in the process of plating in order for students to understand how to shape their creations into products suitable for serving dishes.
Although the students were encouraged to experiment with size and texture — from oblong to round and from vibrant to monochromatic — there was one condition: They could not be too heavy.
“We were talking about how one of the students’ plates could be a registered weapon. I mean, the plate was like four or five pounds. So that was another thing we talked about, to keep in mind having to hold three plates on your arm and do that for about three or four hours,” Tait said. “Because you’re creating something to be both functional and admired.”
By the end of the fall semester, the students produced a number of handmade ceramic items that were gifted to City Grocery. The students dined together in December at the restaurant to celebrate their artistic achievements by sharing food prepared by Tait on their own handmade plates.
“The plates are, for me, the best the restaurant group has ever seen,” Tait said. “We do a specialized dinner, and I went a little above and beyond and did like a 12-course dinner for them and included the plate of every single person that participated on a different dish, so they could all see their work.”
Junior Southern studies major and City Grocery server Gracie Miester reflected on the dinner.
“I loved the tartar, that was my favorite. I thought it was such a fun experience because it was just our whole group of Mud Daubers — that’s what we called ourselves — and we got the chance to get really close and have a lot of fun,” Miester said.
Long summarized the Plate Project’s mission of bringing budding artists’ and experienced chefs’ creations to the forefront.
“Most importantly, this is about raising awareness, giving the community an understanding of the importance of the handmade, both the food and the plate, and hopefully bring(ing) a new level of confidence to the vision of the student,” Long said. “After all, who wouldn’t want their pots to be used by a chef at a great restaurant?”
