Issues → November 2006 → Feature Stories →
New England's Finest: Serving Dishes
Entertain a crowd with ease when you use just the right serving dishes
by Katrina A. Yeager
Red Wine Uncorked
Think of a wine decanter and you probably think of a Victorian cut-glass carafe. No longer: Tsuga Studios' rolling wine decanter ($180) is an elegant way to aerate wines and help sediments settle. "The canes allow for handmade detail without distracting the eye," says Nicholas Kekic, a third-generation glassmaker in Chester, Vermont. "[They] appear to wind around the outside when the decanter is rolling." Choose from black, white, red, or ruby cane work. Each 10-1/2-inch-tall container holds one 750 ml bottle of wine. 802-875-1825. tsugastudios.com
Lazy Susan
Swiftly share condiments and side dishes with this 14-inch-diameter turntable ($89). Marcia LaRocque-Levy hand paints a beautiful majolica tile, and her husband, David, adds a cherry (pictured) or milk-paint-finish wood frame. Eight tile designs (including pinwheel, pictured here) are available from Levy LaRocque in Easthampton, Massachusetts. 413-527-5040. levylarocque.com
Serve It Up
We've never seen a ceramic bowl this big (20 inches in diameter) and couldn't imagine a more perfect dish for large quantities of salad, mashed potatoes, or stuffing. D. Lasser Ceramics produces more than 15 colorful, hand-painted patterns (Planet Green shown here, $185) at a post-and-beam barn in Londonderry, Vermont. Insider's tip: At the showroom, there are shelves full of second-quality pottery. Here you'll find pieces with an imperceptible "oops" at discounted prices, typically 40 percent lower than standard retail. 888-824-6183, 802-824-6183. lasserceramics.com
Deep Dish
Pies have been a staple of the New England table since the Colonial days. Bring them to a modern-day table in Seal Cove Pottery pie plates ($38). Lisbeth Faulkner and Edwin Marshall Davis's studio/store/art gallery on Mount Desert Island in Maine is laden with blue, green, and red pottery on the shelves and nautical watercolors on the walls. "Colors and designs really reflect our love of the water and the island itself," says Lisbeth. The graceful spiral at the bottom of each piece of pottery is evidence of its handmade quality -- a finger fits perfectly into the groove. 207-244-3602.
Takes the Gravy
Of course, no holiday table is complete without a vessel with which to serve the gravy. Woodbury Pewter's gravy boat ($57.50) is lightweight and easy to handle when pouring. If you prefer better portion control, also choose the 1-ounce ladle ($19.50). Both items are made in Woodbury, Connecticut, of lead-free pewter with a satin finish. If you're in town, stop at the factory, where you can watch the pieces being made and browse the outlet store for discounted seconds. To find a store near you or to request a catalog, call 800-648-2014 or 203-263-2668. woodburypewter.com
Turkey Talk
Birds, bees, beetles, dragonflies ... even spiders and snakes. There's a surprise waiting to be uncovered when you use this large oval ceramic platter ($425) for the family turkey. Original black line drawings are transferred to white earthenware and subtly highlighted by color -- light blue, pine green, or iron buffalo (pictured) -- along the rim. The one-of-a kind platter will become an item to be passed on through the generations. Made by Laura Zindel Ceramics in Guilford, Vermont. 802-254-8930. zindelceramics.com
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