MMclay’s Moonshadow 11″ dinner plate from the Progress Collection.
Image courtesy of: Wescover
We believe that everything tastes better if it comes off a beautiful plate. This being MMclay’s motto also, they have amassed quite a following. Since inception, this San Francisco-based ceramics studio has worked with a lot famous chefs in the Bay Area. Saveur Magazine called the wares, “some of the most beautiful tableware in San Francisco restaurants.”
These plates have a raw clay rim and a light glaze. They are absolutely perfect as smaller-sized platters.
Image courtesy of: Wes Cover
Mary Mar Keenan has become known as the woman behind some of San Francisco’s most beautiful tablewares. That is quite a compliment, considering the large amount of artisan representation in the area.
What makes Keenan’s pieces unique is that all glazes are made in small batches at her studio. They are hand brushed and fired in an updraft gas kiln at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the fact that it is difficult to control the atmosphere, no two pieces are identical.
From the Progress Collection, 4″ diping bowls (1″ (h) ramekins). Slab-rolled and hand-textured.
Image courtesy of: MM Clay
Getting into the “restaurant business” really helped Keenan’s business boom. In addition to her highly curated yet “basic” collection, the pottery master reserves time to work with chefs if they want a customized product. Kennan has likened the exposure at the restaurants to having a live gallery. People eat off the plates on a nightly basis and often times ask about the plates’ origins.
It was a 2014 collaboration with chef and restauranteur Stuart Brioza that enabled Keenan to substantially move her business model along. Along with Brioza, also a pottery aficionado, Keenan designed and produced a collection of work for his restaurant. As a James Beard Award Winning chef, this collection, The Progress, got a lot of publicity.
The Kickstarter Collection.
“You are what you eat off of!”
Image courtesy of: MMclay
Over the past few years, Keenan has outgrown her small studio. Earlier this year, MMclay started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a new studio in the same location but with bigger digs. A new facility will allow Keenan to triple her production capacity. The campaign features a “Kickstarter line” which is exclusive to the site. The drippy, dark edges contrast the stark white color beautifully.
Evidently, there is a lot of love for MMclay, the Kickstarter goal was reached quickly; and Keenan set forth an additional campaign amount to try and raise which will help her get “up and running sooner”.
The team!
Previously, MMclay sold its wares out of an Airstream. As unique as this storefront was, the growth of the business signaled a need for a space which incorporated both the production studio and a retail space.
Image courtesy of: Kickstarter