Nature on your plate, a given in Lima.
Fascinated by so much natural beauty in the capital of Peru, a country full of contrasts, the most spectacular nature, a magnificent culinary heritage.
We set out with a close group of foodies in a culinary exploration, visiting together the most talked-about eateries of this cosmopolitan city.
In addition to the beautiful dishes and ingredients, I personally noticed the beautiful ceramics in the restaurants, which not coincidentally has its roots in the rich history of pottery of South America and can be counted among the oldest and most versatile in the world. The imagination, colors, functionalities and attention to detail were absolutely fascinating and we could see for ourselves during our visit to what must have been one of the most extensive museums ( Larco Museum ) on the subject in the world with an unimaginable collection of more than 30 000 pieces testifying to centuries of history. Ceramics have always been much more than artful pottery in this region, a vital part of a fascinating culture that still lives on and supports and expresses the identity of this population to this day.
The restaurants and cocktail bars we visited surprised us again and again with unique porcelain creations of their own, giving their drinks and dishes the appropriate framing and putting them on a pedestal, so to speak. The great importance of the right plate or bowl for the finest dining or drinking experience clearly cannot be underestimated. Both the right content, shape and color, the choice of materials and the composite feeling that emanates from this melt into a symphony, as it were, with the dish and complete the picture.
Nevertheless, the biggest surprise for me was yet to come. Personally, I have always attached great importance to culinary tools, you know, the tools with which we transfer, as it were, the culinary story to our taste buds, the objects that we slip into our hands or between our fingers.
Also, the way we hold them, the elegance and efficiency of movement that these little instruments make possible have always interested me personally. They are also our personal little weapons we wield to stab or cut during the last ultimate battle between man and nature before the ingredients grown, collected and prepared with love and care, then disappear forever.
It is only a fairly recent cultural custom, a local social etiquette. It distinguishes us from the animals, we are more advanced, so to speak, and demonstrate it with this.
Etiquette, however, removes us ever further from our ancient intimate connection with nature. Indeed, etiquette prohibits us from eating with our hands, licking off our plates, gnawing off legs for minutes on end and sucking out lobster claws and marrowbone “en plain public.”
In private circles and in other cultures, however, you always see that this has never gone away. The instrument that gives me the most natural feel and approaches dishes with the greatest respect, however, is the spoon, the historically first ultimate eating instrument that still proves to be the most indispensable.
Great was my satisfaction to find that the spoon occupied a prominent place in the finest eateries of this beautiful city ... and not just any spoon, but countless different spoons, like the ceramics, specifically designed for maximum savoring of the exquisite dishes. The spoons were magically elegant, wonderfully shaped and embodied, as it were, the purest connection between creative man and his natural habitat.
Curious as always, I wanted to investigate where these gems came from, who designed them and who made them,... what a fun quest and what a fascinating prospect.
When I informed Bruno Rouffaer, our cultural and culinary local Belgian guide, friend and gastronome about this, he promptly made time and took me the very next day to a secret address in town, known only to top chefs and their friends, to which Bruno fortunately but not coincidentally belonged.
We were warmly welcomed by the creative owner of “Pajaro loco”, Pablo and fascinated by the many prototypes of pottery and porcelain, and the atelier turned out to be a hidden shop window but also a tasting room of a larger atelier on the outskirts of town, where any design could possibly be made to the liking of the chef or customer.
To my delight, I discovered in the middle of the presentation table the box containing the models of the wooden spoons I had mainly come for. Pablo then told me about the origin of the wood. It came from sustainable extraction of local providers of the Amazonian region. A lot of these pieces were the remain of bigger furniture manufacture, such as tables or chairs. Some of the spoons where made of reclaimed wood from the prune of branches, transforming this material in beautiful natural spoons
Some models are designed specifically for and by certain Chefs and are held exclusively. Other models are freely available to everyone and an own design can always be viewed and customized for the customer.
I selected some spoons and couldn't wait to order several dozen from Pablo for our restaurant and in particular for our next project: the theater of the senses.
Over the next few days, I started sketching and fantasizing about the almost limitless creative variations and upon returning home, I immediately modeled some spoons in clay. The inspiration from Lima also led me to design my own collection of ceramics and porcelain....I purchased two kilns for this purpose and partnered with local pottery makers to further develop and produce my prototypes.
We are now only a few months later and in the meantime we have about five unique own plates and bowls and have conceived the idea of eventually replacing all our factory china with artisanal pottery and porcelain with our own signature, we are well on our way....
And the spoons ... they are now being cut for us on the other side of the world by crafts people with the same passion for the beauty of nature.... we are in happy anticipation.... The road may be as beautiful as the goal we will determinedly reach together:
“Tasting together the beauty of nature...and this with a wooden spoon."
Greetings, Lieven
Pájaro Loco
We are a studio committed to sustainable design and manufacture. We focus on a research process fueled by creativity and the search for disruptive proposals for the creation of utilitarian art and furniture for the hospitality industry.
Our creative process starts from nature, taking it not only as a source of renewable materials but also as a formal and conceptual inspiration. The route to reach a final product is not linear. We are always expectant of what the materials "have to say."
Structural honesty is part of our philosophy. This involves designing and assembling something that does not hide the structural intentions of the object itself. That's why, in our furniture, we seek to leave the joints exposed so that the user can see how they work. This serves both an aesthetic and functional purpose. Similarly, in ceramic production, we take advantage of the unique characteristics of natural clays, which we collect and process by hand in the Amazonas region, in northern Peru.
We are currently working on continuously improving our manufacturing processes by incorporating technology, but without losing the artisanal touch and details that distinguish us as a brand.
