My neighbors probably find me weird. I might be the only one on the block who hangs out halfway out my front door (of course, masked), taking photos of my food in natural light.
I might not successfully re-create the outstanding marble surfaces and the bright light used to shoot food photos on Kitchen BA Test; however, it doesn’t worry me, because something gives the images a great appearance, even at home: the Jono Pandolfi ceramics.
In my only visit since March to the Kitchen BA Test, I snagged some coupe bowls of Jono Pandolfi’s, which we were using to shoot food.
At home, these wonderful ceramics transforms (often) my half-assed meals into food that appears to have belong on Instagram.
An avocado served with some old lentils? Put the food in Jono’s turquoise-glazed bowl and top it up with olive oil and some herbs. All of a sudden, the meals seem like it took more than 3 minutes to throw it together.
Did I forget some rice on the stovetop while explaining the difference between subtraction and addition to my little one? Easy. Dump it in the understated clay-rimmed brown plate and add an egg with chile crisp. The singed rice looks pleasantly crunchy instead of burned. That is the magic of Pandolfi.
Jono’s bowls and plates have a way of making whatever you put on them look great with their organic textures and shapes and the restrained use of color. Their hues don’t take away from that food sitting on them. Yes, their presence makes your food look instantly better. More importantly, they make it appear like you put more effort than you did.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those people who stack up beautiful ceramics all over my cabinets.
I hope one day post-pandemic, two friends come over for dinner, we might find ourselves eating dinner out of my old uninspired beige plates that I panic-bought before my first big dinner party around 17 years ago.
But you won’t catch me taking photos with anything on them. I have my gorgeous Jono Pandolfi ceramics for that.
