From Craft Fair to Casino Resort Earthborn Studios, a handcrafted pottery operation based in Leeds, Alabama, began as an unlikely partnership between a potter and a chef. The turning point came when founder Tena Payne sold shiitake mushrooms to Chris Hastings of Hot & Hot Fish Club in Birmingham. During that transaction, Hastings invited Payne to the restaurant's dining room and asked her to design a custom dinnerware line—"serviceable, beautiful, and durable"—tailored to his vision and kitchen constraints.
Breaking Into Foodservice With no prior foodservice industry experience, Payne attended the American Culinary Society's annual convention and trade show in Washington, D.C., where she was reportedly the only potter ever to exhibit. The reception from chefs prompted her to attend NAFEM (National Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers). Unable to afford exhibition space, Payne and colleagues distributed business cards while loaning pottery to chefs demonstrating products throughout the convention hall. A specialty representative approached her with a critical question: "This is great and all, but can you make 5000?" Payne replied, "I'll find a way." That commitment led to a contract with Bellagio Resort & Casino to create a new banquet line, followed immediately by a second commission: custom tabletop for Sensi, a restaurant then under construction at the resort. Payne collaborated directly with Bellagio Executive Chef Martin Heierling to design custom glazes and shapes suited to the restaurant's aesthetic and operational needs.
Scaling Handcraft to Production Converting studio work to production proved complex.
Payne faced "extreme difficulties and hurdles"—time constraints, kiln failures, glaze failures—but met Bellagio's deadlines. The resort's continued orders opened doors with other high-profile establishments, including The James Beard House in New York City. Earthborn pottery now appears on tables at over 40 venues across North America, Europe, and Asia, including Hot & Hot Fish Club, Duck & Waffle (London), Sushi Samba (multiple locations), and Johnson & Wales University. The Bellagio order "was the springboard I needed," Payne noted, "and their continued use of my product has opened a lot of eyes to the functionality and durability of my pottery."
Operations and Retail In 2006, Payne acquired a 24,000-square-foot former watch factory in Leeds to accommodate production growth. The facility now includes an eight-class-per-week teaching studio, where students have access to open studio time. Payne also partners with retail venues like The Cook Store in Mountain Brook, whose owner Wesley Lassen actively promotes Earthborn work to consumers who dine on the pottery in restaurants and seek to purchase for home use.
Why It Matters
Earthborn Studios demonstrates how artisanal tabletop suppliers can scale production while maintaining craft identity—a model increasingly relevant to upscale operators seeking differentiation. The dual revenue stream (foodservice + retail) provides stability against hospitality volatility, and the James Beard House endorsement signals that handmade tableware carries cultural credibility beyond aesthetics.
For more insights and trends in the food and beverage sector, check out more articles in The Food & Beverage Magazine family of publications.
Written by FBM Publications Editors
