Flatware
Fortessa Tableware Names Smith as CEO, President
Fortessa Tableware Solutions, a global leader in the tableware industry, has appointed Jeff Smith as chief executive officer and president, effective March 1. This strategic decision follows Smith’s nearly two decades of dedicated service to the company, during which he has played a pivotal role in shaping its success and organizational evolution. Smith previously served as the company’s COO and CFO.
Smith brings a wealth of experience and a comprehensive understanding of the company’s overall business. His embodiment of the distinct values and culture of Fortessa Tableware Solutions, coupled with broad credibility within the global team, has garnered the confidence of the board of directors, the group supervisory board, and owners Andreas Buske and Scott Hamberger.
Hamberger will be transitioning to the position of president emeritus. In this capacity, he will continue to contribute to the company’s success in an advisory role. Hamberger will continue as a director and will assume the role of vice chairman of the supervisory board of Zwiesel Kristallglas, AG, the parent company of Fortessa Tableware Solutions.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the transition, Hamberger said, “My greatest professional joy has been to be a part of the growth and development of the wonderful people of this company. I look forward to continuing to contribute in a different way and from a different perspective. As part of that I will be giving Jeff my full support as he takes the company forward.”
Group CEO Buske extends his best wishes to Smith, stating, “Jeff has earned the confidence of his colleagues across our group, as well as that of our Board of Directors in the United States and our Supervisory Board in Germany. We wish him every success and look forward to working with him as he leads Fortessa Tableware Solutions to new heights.”
“I could not be more excited to lead this outstanding company of which I have been a part. I appreciate the confidence of our ownership, governing boards, and my colleagues. We have a great history and I’m looking forward to an even better future,” Smith said.
Fortessa Tableware Solutions is part of the Zwiesel Fortessa Group, a global leader in the tableware industry. The company creates value around the table through customer solutions and innovative product. For more information, visit www.fortessa.com.
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Pottery Barn, Ayesha Curry Team on Sweet July
Pottery Barn, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer, has launched a collaboration with Sweet July, a lifestyle brand founded by renowned restaurateur, chef, two-time New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur Ayesha Curry.
Anchored by natural textures, fresh patterns, and earthy tones, the Sweet July by Ayesha Curry collaboration for Pottery Barn features a well-crafted collection of beautiful items for the home.
The new Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn collection is inspired by summer celebrations and embraces a range of neutral tones with pops of bold and rich terracotta for an elevated, modern look that mix and match seamlessly. From guest-ready bedding and bath accessories to modern barware, table linens, and Calacatta marble serveware and dinnerware debossed with a herringbone pattern, the collection’s thoughtful details celebrate Ayesha’s passion for design and love of al fresco dining.
“Our collaboration with Ayesha Curry has been so organic and inspiring because we share core values of bringing together good people and products through meaningful design,” said CEO of Pottery Barn Brands Marta Benson. “The new Sweet July collection showcases our shared passion for family and beautiful living in the home.”
“It’s been a dream working with the Pottery Barn design team to create a collection featuring products and designs that offer comfort and serenity throughout the home,” said Ayesha Curry, CEO & Founder of Sweet July. “I was inspired by neutral palettes, playing with clean lines and textures that can be mixed and matched in the spaces that mean most to you and your loved ones.”
The Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn collection debuted for Summer 2023 on May 5 at potterybarn.com/sweetjuly and in select California Pottery Barn stores — the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, the Westfield Galleria in Roseville, and Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek. See the new collection by following @potterybarn and @sweetjuly on Instagram.
Pottery Barn, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands, is a premier specialty retailer for casual, comfortable and stylish home furnishings. The brand is dedicated to beautiful ideas for real life, quality products that are crafted to last, sustainability and service. Key product categories include furniture, bedding, bath, rugs, window treatments, tabletop, lighting and decorative accessories. Nearly all Pottery Barn products are designed in-house and are exclusive to its catalogs, stores and website. Pottery Barn operates company-owned stores in the United States, Canada and Australia and has unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, India, the Philippines and South Korea, and stores and ecommerce websites in Mexico, as well as an ecommerce site at www.potterybarn.com that offers international shipping to customers worldwide. Pottery Barn provides complimentary design services and a comprehensive gift registry program for weddings and other special events. Pottery Barn now offers products for all life stages and every room in the home through Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Pottery Barn Teen. Pottery Barn is also part of The Key Rewards, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers members exclusive benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands, the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Ayesha Curry is a renowned restaurateur, chef, 2x New York Times bestselling author, producer, host, entrepreneur and was featured on the prestigious Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Her accessible approach to cooking has made her one of the most sought-after experts in food and lifestyle. Ayesha is the Founder and CEO of Sweet July, her burgeoning lifestyle brand with a focus to uplift an inclusive and eclectic array of creators through the products sold and stories shared. In 2019 Ayesha launched Sweet July, a quarterly lifestyle magazine that covers a range of topics such as wellness, fashion, fitness, beauty, entrepreneurism and food. Following the launch of the magazine, Ayesha opened a brick-and-mortar Sweet July storefront and café in Oakland, CA and its accompanying website, featuring thoughtfully created products alongside other carefully selected items from Black-owned and female-founded companies. In 2020, Ayesha launched Sweet July Productions, which focuses on creating content centered around food, family, faith and female empowerment. Most recently, Ayesha served as host and executive producer of HBO Max’s ABOUT LAST NIGHT. In 2022, Ayesha announced Sweet July Books in partnership with Zando. Sweet July Books will acquire fiction and nonfiction work, with a focus on diverse authors and women’s stories. Ayesha, along with her husband Stephen, is the co-founder of Eat. Learn. Play., an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child and making a positive impact for generations to come.
Sweet July is a Black, female-owned lifestyle brand founded by Ayesha Curry. Launched in 2019 with an eponymous lifestyle magazine, Sweet July aims to uplift an inclusive and eclectic array of creators through the products sold and the stories shared. Additionally, Sweet July creates products for the self and home, from pantry essentials to self-care staples. The company opened their flagship store and café in 2021 in the heart of Oakland, featuring products from Sweet July, in addition to Black-owned and women-owned brands, thoughtfully curated by Ayesha and the Sweet July editorial team. Sweet July has also expanded to include a production company, Sweet July Productions, a publishing imprint, Sweet July Books and an online digital platform in sweetjuly.com for quality journalism with profiles, features, recipes and more content from a diverse array of contributors.
For more news of interest to the housewares industry, subscribe to Kitchenware News & Housewares Review.
Flatware for the Baby Shower Gift
From first-stage toddler flatware, the Viners infant collection and new junior items give parents every piece needed to get children feeding themselves independently. Featuring contoured handles that fit perfectly into little hands, this three piece set is perfect for infants. The textured back adds grip making the flatware easier to hold while the colorful design will help to make mealtimes fun. The set comes with a 25-year guarantee and retails for $9.00. For more information, email Alexandra Murphy at alexm@typhoonhomewares.com or call +44 (0)151.486.1888.
Oneida Shows off its Heritage in New Showroom at NY Tabletop
Continuing the exciting expansion of its retail business, The Oneida Group has opened a new showroom at FortyOne Madison, debuting an array of new flatware designs for this year’s spring New York Tabletop Show.
“With our flagship Oneida retail brand back in-house following the end of our licensing agreement last year, we are thrilled to open our fabulous new showroom in the design capital of the world as part of New York Tabletop,” said Mark Eichhorn, Chief Executive Officer of The Oneida Group. “This impressive space along with the debut of several new flatware designs underscore our commitment to re-energizing and continuing to grow the beloved Oneida brand through strategic investment in production and thoughtful design innovation.”
Located on the 10th floor of the FortyOne Madision showroom tower, the new 2864 square-foot Oneida showroom boasts sweeping views of Madison Square Park and an artisan loft interior feel. The showroom was born out of a creative collaboration with Paul Gebhardt, Senior Vice President of Design and Creative Director at The Oneida Group, and Marc Papa, Designer and Owner of The Industrial Loft, which specializes in turning architectural salvage and other vintage items into relevant functional pieces of art. Papa created several bespoke furniture and display pieces for the showroom, using many reclaimed materials, including 100-year-old timbers. A custom bar was fashioned from a repurposed Oneida silversmith’s bench and adorned with stainless steel flatware stock, while a vintage Oneida factory door transformed a storage closet into a dramatic focal point for the showroom.
“We wanted the showroom to reflect both the historic origins of the Oneida community, which puts high priority on quality and craftsmanship, as well as connect with the trend for all things artisan in today’s design and culinary world,” Gebhardt said. “The worn surfaces and authentic tool marks reflect years of creative activity and form a patina on these antiques that speaks to the rich Oneida Silversmiths history.”
More than 150 different Oneida flatware designs are on display in the showroom, with new introductions embracing a full range of aesthetic perspectives. Anchor Hocking glassware, as well as Oneida bakeware, cookware and cutlery, is also on display.
Eat4Fun Introduces New Children’s Cutlery Line at IH+HS
Eat4Fun will introduce its new line of children’s cutlery at the International Home + Housewares Show 2016 being held at Chicago’s McCormick Place March 5 – 8. Eat4Fun can be found in the North Building. Eat4Fun is a first-time exhibitor at the International Home + Housewares Show.
This patented, plastic-handled, hand-drawn kids character cutlery is the only standing/upright childrens cutlery in the marketplace. Lorraine Ragland Maberry, Eat4Fun owner says, “We offer a unique, yet functional, product that will keep kids entertained at mealtimes. We designed the utensils and accessories, to make the sometimes not-so-easy dining adventure a little more fun for everyone. These fun and educational utensils keep children’s attention on the matter at hand. Besides, who can resist a smiling face with every bite?”
Eat4Fun childrens cutlery has hand-drawn characters that both parents and kids can relate to. It is a choice in flatware for kids beyond the typical commercialized, licensed television and movie characters. Dishwasher-safe Eat4Fun’s exclusive “Xtra” wash technology guarantees up to 500 dishwasher cycles. The boldly colored designs will not fade or wear off in the washing process, as most children’s printed cutlery does.
High quality 18/10 stainless steel components mean no bending or rusting. The PVC/BPS/phthalate-free, durable ABS plastic handles handles are safe for children. The product meets CPSIA standards.
The line was founded in 2014 and is internationally distributed. The International Home + Houswares Show 2016 is the U.S. debut to the housewares, tabletop and gift industries. The company offers a range of styles within the Eat4Fun brand, and also manufacture adult cutlery under the Quid Novi brand, as well as private labels product all over the world.
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