Kurt McVay has provided dishes and handcrafted decorative items such as lighting fixtures and ornaments for many other fine dining establishments, including the world-famous Charlie Trotter in Chicago.

Most restaurateurs will agree that fine dining describes more than the restaurant's food. More than ever, this description is woefully incomplete. The experience begins when the guest grasps and pushes open the door and sets foot inside. It includes the greeting of the maitre d', the communication of the decor, the table setting, the quality and taste of the food itself, and the presentation of the cuisine.

Yes, the menu may be one of the reasons patrons arrive, but the ambiance and the dining experience are just important in setting a restaurant apart.

In order to create a signature image that is truly their own, many fine dining establishments are turning to artists for items such as art glass wall sconces, lighting fixtures and tableware that dovetails with their image and decor. All of these unique touches are carefully woven together to comprise the restaurant's brand, which is essential for establishing a reputation and differentiating it from others.

"Our brand image is to be the most trusted dining experience in the country," says Mark Canlis, owner and operator of Canlis in Seattle, one of the highest-rated restaurants in the nation. "When a patron makes a reservation, he or she is dedicating time to us. To be given this honor is quite a responsibility—you can bet I'm going to return it tenfold.

"I'm going to show them something they've never seen before -make them feel like they're on top of the world," he adds.

What Mark Canlis is attempting to do with a plate, an art glass ornament or a tablecloth, is use it as a "canvas" for the artistry of the culinary presentation that contributes to the overall experience. For Canlis, that means everything must be genuine.

Perfect Match
His desire for authenticity and beauty led him to commission specially crafted serving plates by Kurt McVay, which were designed and handmade specially to fit his brand image and dining environment.

According to Canlis, this element not only provides additional beauty to the food being served, it is also another very genuine addition to the ambiance. "Kurt McVay, when we met him, was an artist ahead of his time, making plateware into art," Canlis says. "It was a natural step for us to say, 'Here's someone who meets our vision, who is taking things one step further.' It allowed us to bring one more 'wow' to the guest, and that's really what it's all about."

McVay has provided dishes and handcrafted decorative items such as lighting fixtures and ornaments for many other fine dining establishments, including the world-famous Charlie Trotter in Chicago. "Kurt McVay is responsible for some of the greatest plateware available," Trotter says. "I am proud to use Kurt's plateware at my restaurant in Chicago, and his work is a mainstay at restaurant 'C' in Los Cabos, Mexico."

McVay's first restaurant work was for friend Chef David Paul at his restaurant David Paul's Lahaina Grill in Maui, Hawaii. Chef Paul then spread the word to his own friends, which included Charlie Trotter and others, and as employees of these establishments moved on to other positions in other places they carried word of McVay and his work with them.

Making Magic
McVay turns out his creations from a converted three-story barn on 17 acres of Northwest wilderness, about 60 miles north of Seattle.

The kiln-fired process he utilizes is 5,000 years old -3,000 years older than blown glass. It involves fusing multiple cut pieces of colored glass together, and then a second firing, which adds shape to the piece, and many additional steps to bring the piece to life.

The appreciation of his art glass seems to equate to complementing presentation. "What I've heard in general is that my plates provide a unique and exciting platform that elevates the artistry of presentation without competing with it," McVay says.

When commissioned by a restaurant, he first makes a study of the establishment, provided to him in fabric swatches, color samples, sketches and photographs.

He then recommends colors, designs and shapes, which coordinate with -but do not exactly match -the decor, tables, settings and the cuisine. This is followed by as much collaboration as it takes to provide the client with exactly what it requires.

McVay came to Canlis through Chef Aaron Wright, who had been a sous chef at another restaurant and had seen McVay's early work.

Experienced in glassmaking himself, Wright recognized the quality, and later at Canlis he contacted McVay to commission him.

Having a certain vision for the menu and the appearance of the cuisine against a white tablecloth, Wright worked with McVay in developing design themes appropriate for Canlis.

Their particular need was a more sophisticated, refined color scheme complementing the color, tone and feel, which had already been set by famed interior designer Doug Rasar.

"The art glass dishes are coordinated with the restaurant decor," Canlis says. "Everything in the restaurant has to speak the same language. I think that's the strength of an artist, to bring his own skills into an existing design scheme. McVay was able to come and understand Canlis and then create art."

Offering Variety
McVay provides a broad assortment of designs, as well. "For example, many of my clients like a wide variety of colorful appetizer plates, 4-by-5 inches, which serve to liven up this type of dining," he says.

The variety is one reason Mark Canlis appreciates McVay's work. "We have four or five different sizes of plates, but every plate is different and completely unique, so you could really say we have over 100 different plates," Canlis says.

The artwork is also versatile. "One of the great things about tableware is that you can use them for different dishes," Canlis says. "I have this long, sort of rectangular plate, and I can do an appetizer on it, I can do a very complicated amuse buche on it, I can do an assortment of beautiful petit fours, I can do a very small mid-course, or even a dessert. "It's a fantastic platform to work off of. We use them interchangeably and all the time. It's another tool in the pocket of the chef."

In addition to its beauty and complementing of a restaurant's image, McVay's serving pieces are far more durable and long lasting than ceramic dishware due to their construction.

Earlier in his life, McVay was employed in restaurants, and became aware of the durability these items needed to have.

The net result was dining plates with the aesthetic quality of signed artwork, which are also multi-functional; he even has a large variety of designs in stock that can be supplied to his clients quickly for events, conferences, auctions, gifts and awards.

Bruce Boyers is a freelance writer based in Glendale, Calif. For more information on Kurt McVay Art Glass, visit www.kurtmcvayartglass.com