Felt + Fat makes plateware for high end restaurants and home chefs alike

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Deep in the industrial lofts of Kensington, a factory is making the high-grade ceramic tableware that top chefs in the city use in their restaurants.

Founder and lead designer Nate Mell is the CEO of Fat + Felt, a studio and manufacturing company with this niche specialty.

Mell was an artist working in restaurants to pay the bills when he started the business.

After his first commission to make plates for a spot in Ellen Yin's restaurant group, he eventually became the go-to choice for places like Fork, Laurel, Jezabel, Cadence, and Friday Saturday Sunday.

The company has grown since 2013, and now consumers can order the same goods the professionals use.

The company takes its name from the materials used by mid-century sculptor Joseph Beuys, who often used the raw materials of felt and fat in his works, to symbolize warmth, healing, and redemption.

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3401 "I" Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134

215-259-8773