Located in the artistic Poblenou neighborhood, the Gertel & Fraser workshop creates pieces for prestigious restaurants such as Disfrutar or El Celler de Can Roca.
There are many ceramic artisans. Many. However, very few can say that they make dishes for the best restaurants in the world. That is the seal that distinguishes Gertel & Fraser Vajillas Vivas from other projects. From their workshop —located in the artistic Barcelona neighborhood of Poblenou— they handcraft each of the pieces that make up their ceramic tableware. Afterwards, these travel to the most exclusive tables to delight demanding diners who understand gastronomy as a sensory experience.
Gertel & Fraser creates exclusive pieces for restaurants. Editorial credit: Gertel & Fraser.
The Gertel & Fraser project is run by Paula Gertel and Cameron Fraser, friends and partners. Together, they have managed to bring their sensitivity to practically every corner of the world: Tokyo, Dubai, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Lima, Los Angeles, New York… Their clients include the Ritz in New York, Smaak in Japan, Can Jubany by Nandu Jubany, Els Tinars by Marc Gascons and the Roca brothers for El Celler de Can Roca.
Their designs can also be found in the three best Spanish restaurants in the world, chosen in the latest and prestigious The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards: Disfrutar (by Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas, in Barcelona), Etxebarri (by Bittor Arguinzoniz, in Bizkaia) and DiverXo in Madrid.
And although being present in the best kitchens in the world is already a gift, they also managed to capture attention with their presence in the Guggenheim in Bilbao. There they were commissioned to make the Nerua tableware.
Plates from the Marisma del Delta collection. Editorial credit: Gertel & Fraser.
The working technique followed by Gertel & Fraser consists of combining the wheel with a manual artisan practice in which they make use of a clay formulated by themselves. The final result is painted and engraved tableware using creative techniques invented in the workshop.
Paula Gertel making one of the pieces in her workshop. Editorial credit: Gertel & Fraser.
They currently have two lines of tableware: one handcrafted and the other more classic. In both, they use stoneware fired at high temperature with their own glazes. They also work with creative processes in which chefs and/or creative managers of restaurants are involved. This is the case of the tableware created for the Sol Post restaurant in Formentera.
The story behind Gertel & Fraser
Paula and Cameron started this project in 2018, although its roots go back further, when they shared a workshop in a space dedicated to artisans in the Freixas Building in L’Hospitalet. There they decided to merge their two specialties: she, a ceramist and cook from Córdoba (Argentina); he, an Australian artist dedicated to engraving. Gertel & Fraser was born as a result of this symbiosis and a series of experiences. One of the most important, and in fact the embryonic part of the project, was their meeting with the culinary photographer Becky Lawton, who commissioned pieces for Joan Roca’s recipe book. Shortly after, they began to make their way in the world of gastronomy thanks to the help of friends and acquaintances.
