Wabi Nabe
Cast Iron Cookware
DESIGNER'S NOTES
Recognizing material origins has fostered a different kind of approach to the objects I interact with and design. Near where I grew up in Tennessee one can still find coke ovens, necessary for smelting iron ore, lining the back roads of the county. Not far from the crumbling remains of these coke ovens is a modern foundry producing cookware that is distributed internationally. The brand is a household name in the South, and ubiquitous in professional kitchens. Therefore, it is by common association I feel there are strong ties linking the South, the materiality of iron, and "cast iron cooking". It has intrinsic value to me in this regard, but more importantly it is a superior material choice. It is healthy to cook in, is commonly produced from up-cycled materials, and has even heat distribution; these are all sustainable design considerations.
