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A plate is a small architecture for food

Table set with handmade ceramic plates and bowls in terracotta and blue glazes, papaya and bird of paradise flowers

Maria in conversation with mD MAG

Our co-founder Maria Baleva sat down with Yana Lefterova from MD Magazine for a conversation about what happens when ceramics and cooking are imagined together – and the title says it well: a plate is a small architecture for food.

Maria is an architect as much as she is a ceramist, and she talks about a dish the way she’d talk about a space: never just the object, but the person, the movement, the light, the scale. A plate isn’t only something to serve on — it shapes how a dish is felt, with all the senses, before the first bite. Glaze, texture, depth and form all quietly change what we expect from what’s in front of us.
A plate is a small architecture for food
Tilted white porcelain bowl with broth, carrot and a dark root, shown with a steel spoon
A plate is a small architecture for food
Person cutting pizza on a red and ivory handmade ceramic plate
A plate is a small architecture for food

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She also makes a case for what handwork brings. The small variations that come with making by hand aren’t imperfections, she says — they’re a sign of life, proof that a piece passed through hands, decisions and a little risk. It’s a thought that runs through the whole interview, along with reflections on working alongside chefs like Bruno Verjus, and where design and gastronomy might be heading next: not toward prettier objects, but toward new ways of experiencing a meal.

The full conversation (in Bulgarian, interview by Yana, photos by Simeon Levi and Yana Lozeva) is well worth a read:

READ HERE

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