You may do a double take when you pull up outside the industrial Quonset hut in Dallas’s Cedars neighborhood. But you’re in the right place. Marcello Andres Ceramics is where some of the city’s best chefs and one of its best local artisans are collaborating on the most exciting new dinner series in Texas. Nevermind that there’s no kitchen.
Marcello Andres Ortega worked in finance before he was called to the kiln. He began in his apartment, eventually moving into his current studio in 2020. His high-quality pieces were quickly recognized by hospitality pros, and he soon began outfitting mezcal bars with copitas and restaurants with plates and bowls. Today, he’s using liquid clay and plaster molds to make up to 150 pieces a week, merging traditional techniques with modern design. Clients include Dallas favorites like Petra and the Beast, Georgie and Beverley’s Bistro & Bar, as well as Pullman Market in San Antonio and Blanca, the lauded tasting counter in Brooklyn, New York. The business started by bringing the ceramics to chefs, but inviting chefs into the space where the ceramics are made felt like a natural extension of the partnership. That’s how Kiln to Table was born.
This monthly dinner series is just a few months in but has already hosted big-timers like Georgie chef and French laundry alum RJ Yoakum, Dallas icon Kent Rathbun, and sushi master Jimmy Duke of Onēsan. Next up is Misti Norris, the regular James Beard nominee behind Petra and the Beast, a restaurant known for its whole animal cookery and in-house fermentation. The Sunday, October 20 dinner will feature six courses plus drink pairings, with dishes like smoked pork fat popovers with koji nduja butter, cheese oil-poached hiramasa with smoked bone dashi, and steamed shrimp and pork dumplings with green curry.
Dinners are limited to just 12 people, so get those tickets while you can. If you miss out on the October dinner, there’s another one around the corner on November 17 with a yet-to-be-revealed chef known for top-notch Mexican cooking. Signing up for the Marcello Andres newsletter is the best and quickest way to stay in the know and ensure you get first access once tickets drop.
When the time comes and you’ve ensured your Uber driver that you are, in fact, at the right place, you’ll enter through the front door into an industrial warehouse loaded with kilns and raw materials. Your hosts will lead you through the production room, where you can see pieces waiting to be glazed and finished pieces set aside for clients. You’ll end in the dining room, a warm space anchored by a 12-person table, complete with a small bar and a disco ball.
“There’s a lot of intention in how we do things,” Ortega says. “We want people to see the rawness of the warehouse and then settle into the coziness of the dinner space. This room and the music are all about calming your nervous system.”
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Body scans, red-light therapy, neural stimulation — I tried it all at Canyon RanchThe affable, mustachioed Ortega is joined by Rosin Saez, a local writer who does comms for the company and acts as the evening’s emcee. A pre-dinner cocktail is served, introductions are made and everyone mingles while the featured chefs get to work in the adjoining room.
At the September dinner, Kent Rathbun and Jimmy Duke teamed up on a nine-course meal that started with Hokkaido scallops and progressed into a handful of delicate seafood dishes before culminating in crispy karaage and A5 Wagyu. When not putting together this elaborate feast using induction burners and outdoor grills, the chefs introduced each course. Wine, mezcal and conversation flowed freely, and the playlist supplied the exact vibes you want when eating dinner in a ceramics studio surrounded by strangers who are soon to become friends.
“We built a space that celebrates warmth and music, like our nod to a listening lounge,” Ortega says. “As things get more digital, I think we crave more analog experiences.”
He’s been pleasantly surprised at how willing chefs have been to cook on-site, especially considering there’s no kitchen. But the environment spurs creativity.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see how their brains work,” Ortega says, explaining that it’s a blank canvas collaboration. Before planning the menu, chefs walk the space and choose which ceramics they want to use for dinner service. Ortega will even make custom pieces that best showcase the dishes. At the RJ Yoakum dinner, for example, Ortega made a bright orange bowl to complement a monochromatic orange dish.
Once dinner’s over, some guests head out while others stick around, sipping mezcal and continuing conversations. Be sure to peruse the shelves before you leave. If you see a piece you like, it’s probably for sale. So go ahead and take something home, whether it’s a copita for your next mezcal or a few table settings for a dinner party. Sure they look great, but hey, you know the artist now, too.
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