Hasta La Ideas

A new online shop celebrating the tradition of Moroccan craftsmanship

Famous for colorful souks where artisans peddle handmade goods, Morocco hasn’t been spared the effects of Westernization. To help keep the craftsmanship heritage alive, Aimee Bianca and her Moroccan husband Chafiq Ennaoui came up with Beldi, a country-specific online shop highlighting select housewares and accessories. Explaining they noticed “more and more cheap plastic stuff from China in peoples’ homes” when visiting Morocco, the pair not only expose the country’s finely crafted objects to the world, they also give online shoppers a fresh destination for items that are often difficult to source.

Spanning classic Moroccan rugs to bathwares and leather accessories, Bianca says because Ennaoui grew up in the medina of Marrakech, “almost everything we have is from people Chafiq knows personally, some of the artisans he originally knew through his grandfather or since he was a child.” Future inventory will include items from different areas around the country, tapping each region’s distinct artistry.

Similar to stores such as Kiosk, RS Too and even Opening Ceremony, part of Beldi’s appeal comes from finding artisans who would not otherwise be able to sell beyond their geographical border, bringing their skills into the limelight. But because of the way Moroccans conduct business—”everything’s done by bargaining, and can be a long process of meeting multiple times, drinking tea and finally coming to an agreement”—Bianca and Ennaoui also serve as gateway to a buying process the average tourist wouldn’t always experience.

With aspirations to one day be as all-encompassing as Lisbon’s famed A Vida Portuguesa boutique, Beldi is already starting off as a beautiful celebration of a culture with a long history of handmade goods and artisinal craftsmanship. Keep an eye out for more to come from the many regions around Morocco.

Eclectic flavors match stunning presentations from a NY-based design/chef duo

Taking catering in a new direction is Pinch Food Design, a NYC-based catering company specializing in both presentation and culinary innovation that’s guaranteed to surprise and delight. Founded by industry veterans Tj Girard (head designer) and Bob Spiegel (head chef), the two work together seamlessly to make Pinch’s creations both pleasing to the pallet and the eye. A short while ago some of the CH team was invited to their Chelsea HQ to see and taste what the creative team has been working on lately. The following are four of our favorite appetizers and an in-depth look at one of Chef Bob’s finest works of culinary art.

As a perfect example of Pinch’s focus on design, the serving dish has been cleverly created to use cabinet knobs to present the basil crusted filet mignon. Topped with shallot marmalade and tiny popover pastry, each bite sized piece is an absolute delight.

What may be the most interesting appetizer that we sampled, this falafel adaptation was fun and flavorful. The pressed pita chips act as the ultimate vessel for the red olive, hummus, cucumber pickle and of course falafel meat. Pleasantly surprised with its canny taste, the moist little towers won the team over instantly.

Drizzled in mustard oil and port, the chanterelle broccoli rabe sausage is literally balanced with a delicate piece of pequillo toast. Secured on both ends by Pinch’s custom toothpick design, the two sides to the appetizer play well off each other, allowing the holder to follow the savory sausage with a complimentary crunch.

For dessert Pinch keeps its patrons on their feet with their suspension pastry galettes. The copper structure holds light and flaky pastries by free swinging hooks, allowing each piece to be picked by hand. Adding to the seasonal selection of peach, fig, berry, pear and strawberry rhubarb pastries are copper bowls of cinnamon, chocolate and regular whipped cream for dipping. These were hands down our favorite and the most creative way to serve dessert that we’ve come across yet.

After a great deal of negotiations and bargaining we persuaded Chef Bob to give up the secret recipe for his amazing mini spaghetti and meatball appetizer. These were unlike any appetizers we’ve ever seen, and obviously worth a closer look. More on the recipe and his essential preparation techniques as told by the inventor himself after the jump.

Spaghetti Roll

3 Cloves Garlic, sliced thin

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cups canned Plum Tomatoes, pureed with juices

1 cup tomato paste

Salt

Pepper

1/2 pound Angel hair pasta

Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole, not grated

Meatballs, rolled the size of a dime, recipe follows

Lightly brown garlic in oil, add the tomato puree, cook for 20 minutes until emulsified. Take out 2 tablespoons of the sauce and set aside for finishing later. Add the tomato paste and cook on a low flame. The key here is to cook this for a lot longer than you think, as the goal is to evaporate all the liquid, but not compromise the flavor. This is what makes the ‘glue’, the key to the whole dish. Meanwhile, cook the angel hair in salted water until al dente, strain—do not rinse off the starch—and add the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

With tongs or rubber gloves, pull out some of the dressed angel hair pasta. Place it on some plastic wrap and roll tubes about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate these for an hour or two until the pasta is set. The angel hair will continue to absorb the sauce and not be as al dente, this creates the illusion in your mouth as when you cut the pasta it feels more al dente than it is.

To serve, cut the pasta rolls 3/4 inch thick, lay them next to each other and microwave for 15 seconds. On a separate cutting board, micro plane the parmigiano, stack back up the angel hair roll and liberally roll the round sides in the parmigiano.

Meatballs

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup, toasted breadcrumbs

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 large egg

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

salt

pepper

Combine the beef and pork in a large bowl. Then add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well until the olive oil is completely absorbed. It may seem like a lot of olive oil, but this is what give the hors d’oeuvres its moistness. Refrigerate and roll into dime sized balls.

Sear the little meatballs in olive oil and finish with the reserved tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper. Spoon the meatball and some sauce on top of the pasta roll, micro plane some more cheese on top. Serve while still warm.

Ten finely-crafted boots to keep you kicking through rain and snow

When searching for rugged footwear, we’ve always turned to tried and true brands that have passed the test of time to see us through fall and beyond. Turning to companies that provide loggers, soldiers, hikers and other hard-workers with dependable boots, we took a close look at the technical cred that makes these true heritage brands. With the addition of a few labels that are newer to the game too, here’s a total of ten picks all sharing the common thread of proven craftsmanship—whether for surviving the mines of Minnesota or the rainy Vancouver streets.

Rider and Need Supply Co.’s Ottawa Hiker

American heritage craftsmanship and rich Italian leather comes together in the Ottawa Hiker for a tough mountaineering aesthetic with a Vibram sole. Rider Boot Company makes each pair to order exclusively for fellow Virginians Need Supply Co. Get your order in by 15 September 2011 to cop these hand-stitched beauties for $645.

Danner and Tanner Goods’ Mountain Light Lownsdale

As the company that outfitted a generation of loggers who built the Pacific Northwest, few know weatherproof workwear like Danner. The recent collaboration with fellow Oregonians Tanner Goods resulted in the new Lownsdale. This limited-edition, made from Chromexcel (a special type of Horween leather) in Portland, Oregon, comes complete with a Gore-Tex liner for superior waterproofing. Grab a pair while you still can for $375 directly from Tanner.

Chippewa Apache

Founded in 1901 to outfit loggers in Wisconsin and adapted for WWII paratroopers, Chippewa Boots are as rough and tumble as they come. The Apache steel-toe is built for comfort and protection. Made in America, the Apache sells at various outfitters including Amazon for around $135.

Red Wing Iron Ranger

The Iron Ranger, designed to protect the feet of iron miners in northern Minnesota, is guaranteed to get you through the toughest conditions. Triple-stitched with double-layered premium leather on the toe and heel, the Iron Ranger sells for $280 from authorized retailers worldwide.

Quoddy Grizzly Boot Vibram

Made using the same techniques as with their traditional moccasins, the Grizzly is a six-eyelet boot lined with glove-grade leather and sealed with a deerskin bellows tongue to keep the heat in and the cold out. American-made and supported by a slender Vibram sole custom-designed for Quoddy, the Grizzly boot is available in multiple colors from their webshop for $425.

Yuketen Maine Guide Quilt

Made with the highest quality American leather, a patchworked plaid-and-herringbone wool panel makes
Yuketen’s Maine Guide Quilt the most fashion-forward of the bunch. They’re also hand stitched by a small group of craftsman that’ve been working together for over 25 years, if the finest American-made, boating-inspired boot is what you’re after. Head to Nitty Gritty where they hold the hefty price tag of €610.

Opening Ceremony and Timberland 7-Eye Moccasin

The 7-Eye Moccasin Boot keeps it simple with a burnished leather upper that will get you through inclement weather without weighing you down. The boots come in green as well as more traditional tan color, and sell online and at Opening Ceremony stores for $195.

Palladium Baggy Leather Gusset

With a sole crafted from a single, solid piece of rubber, Palladium’s Baggy Leather Gusset boots are another lightweight option with a streamlined design makes them a great alternative to clunky rain boots. Waterproof nubuck leather, sealed seams and waterproof stitching thread enhance its ability to fight the elements. Pick them up for $120 from Palladium.

Dr. Martens Drury

The most recent addition to the company born from an air-cushioned sole designed to nurse a ski injury, the Drury’s slimmer, slightly atypical look is more styled for the streets. Available in the Dr.’s iconic oxblood with an updated sole silhouette, they’re still heavy-duty and built for a beating. Order them from Dr. Martens directly for $120.

Vasque Sundowner GTX

With a Gore-Tex-lined body, the Sundowner GTX offers the best in waterproofing and durability. The old-school model dates back to Vasque’s founding in the early 1970s, designed to offer the best performance in the wild. Check Vasque’s store locater to get yourself a pair for $180.

Contributions by Karen Day, Graham Hiemstra, Ami Kealoha and Greg Stefano

How a young French designer’s radical approach yields soulful results

Toying with high and low, mixing handmade craftsmanship with mechanized production, contrasting natural materials against plastics—the work of emerging industrial designer Jean-Baptiste Fastrez is a study in opposites, shedding new light onto everyday objects by highlighting dissonance. But unlike many exploring the same concepts only to deconstruct design, this rabble-rouser sets up the tension as a means to give “soul” to an object. His latest project takes on the hair dryer, incorporating the “great craft tradition” of handle-making to reinvent the common appliance as a modern tomahawk. “My aim,” the young Frenchman explains, “is to give to this type of product some more interest, sense and sculptural presence,” an approach that lends the object status befitting today’s well-coiffed warriors.

This avant-garde approach, honed as an assistant to the experimentally-minded design team of the Bouroullec brothers for the past three years, is a through line in Fastrez’s independent work as he applies radical ideas to mainstream design. Like the tomahawk hair dryer, his electric kettle series attempts to make “serial production and handmade production coexist within one same object.” By creating a standardized, technical base that meets safety restrictions, the kettle itself can be customized through a rapid prototyping machine or by enlisting the help of independent craftsmen. This industrial-meets-independent design system allows users to play with how they will use an object, again giving it the kind of highly sought after personal value that appeals to the consumer looking for a self-aware way to express their individuality through design.

“I would like for the consumer to choose his electrical appliance as he could fall in love with a piece in a secondhand market,” Fastrez emphasizes. At play along with this notion of individualism is a sustainability element—if the object breaks, the consumer isn’t forced to buy an entirely new appliance.

Questioning the efficiency of mass production, Fastrez’ approach largely works to upend the way standardization processes lead to “soulless objects” and thereby facilitate our throwaway society. In addition to creating adaptable design, introducing a new purpose can also increase the emotional value of an item. The Fog table, created in collaboration with designer Marc Sarrazin, repurposes metallic mesh (usually used to make soundproof electronic drums) into a tabletop, which only functions when the table legs have been extended to stretch the fabric tight enough to support objects.

Keep an eye out for Fastrez’ upcoming projects, which includes designs with Sèvres ceramics and Circa glass, as well as a solo exhibition at the Design Parade at the Villa Noailles, Hyères. The industrious designer says of his forthcoming plans, “a year of very exiting work.”

Ninth-generation Japanese shipwright handcrafts lightweight mahogany bicycles

A ninth-generation shipwright, Sueshiro Sano has been making exquisite wooden products since he was in elementary school. But in 2008, drawing inspiration and technique from a lifetime of shipbuilding, the woodworker produced his first bike constructed entirely of mahogany, including frame, fork, seat, seat post, handlebars/stem combination and even rims.

Using mahogany lends flex and responsiveness in a way no metal frame can, which in turn gives riders an elevated sense of control and increases pacing possibilities. A number of Sano’s prototypes have been raced professionally, excelling in both ideal and inclement weather. In the three years since starting the project, Sano has handcrafted 11 of these fully wooden bicycles, making improvements that shave the average weight of his full builds down from 11 kilograms to around eight.

Through this evolution, the original mahogany seat was eventually upgraded to include a slimmer profile and mahogany mounting rails. By replacing the original metal rails and joints with stronger and lighter mahogany, Sano reduced the total weight of the saddle and mounting rails from 230 grams to 160 grams.

This year Sano began experimenting with more influential design improvements, most notably the implementation of a fully-integrated seat post. The development combines the seat post and seat tube into one continuous piece running from the bottom bracket to the seat, eliminating seat height adjustability—but offering an unmatched 100% tailored fit. The advancement also makes the bike lightweight, aerodynamic and responsive. Superbly conceived and executed craftsmanship like this extends to handlebar size and seat proportions as well, further proof of Sano’s superlative ability and skill.

Sano also makes unbelievably gorgeous boats and furniture, putting attention to detail and passion equally into each project. To keep tabs on the constant evolution of Sano’s organic creations and his twelfth bicycle (now in the works) check out Sanomagic. If you dig what Sano is doing check out Renovo‘s take on the wooden bicycle.