We made concrete plates for a culinary competition in Singapore. The Czech team won with them

We stand for the fact that concrete is beautiful and can be used to make many example pieces. We were fortunate enough to convince the expert jury of the prestigious FHA Culinary Challenge in Singapore in 2018. We made concrete plates for the Czech National team of cooks and confectioners AKC ČR. In this competition, the team won the highest award – the Singapore Lion. It was the first time ever that concrete plates appeared in this competition.

In the spirit of cubism

The plates’ design was developed by Tibor Mužík. When he started the design, he faced a difficult task – to produce such plates for the team that could be carried in the spirit of Czech Cubism. The Czech Republic is the only country in the world where architecture and applied art have taken this direction too. That’s what the team in Japan wanted to show. The resulting proposal had to be on the table within two days. We took it as a challenge and began work.

Simple and unconventional at the same time

Designer Tibor mastered the very tight deadline and in the next two months unique plates with a flat and regular surface were created. But how could we incorporate the cubism elements so that the plate doesn’t distract from the food and on the contrary shows it in the best light? Our designer did this too – he placed the cubist elements on the bottom part of the plates. These were then placed on a pedestal with a mirror during the competition, so even the jury didn’t miss this detail.

Plate production

In production we first made milled wooden models. Then we created moulds and castings. It’s interesting that we’ve developed special high-strength concrete for the plates. We couldn’t use it just because of high hygienic demands. We succeeded and created unique plates that helped the Czech team to win the Singapore Lion.

Winning menu on concrete

I’m sure you’re wondering what the winning menu was like to give the team the highest prize. In the last round, salmon and mussels, beef cheeks with entrecote and coconut puree and strawberries appeared as a dessert on concrete plates. The Czech team didn’t know in advance what task it would receive from the jury and what delicacies it would have to prepare. The completion organisers as well as ourselves found this winning menu great and we’re very happy that we could participate in this success.