Kitchn — Food — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:45:00 -0400
Summary
East Fork is an Asheville, North Carolina-based pottery brand that co-founder and CEO Alex Matisse launched in 2011 with his wife Connie and workshop director John Vigeland, after initially selling pots from his studio at galleries and craft shows; the company now produces about 650,000 pieces annually. The Kitchn concludes the tableware is worth its premium price tag—dinnerware sets can cost up to $442—citing its durability, functionality, and everyday usability (pieces are microwave- and dishwasher-safe), with editors reporting their pieces still look new after years of use. Shoppers can buy East Fork through its website, retailers like Williams Sonoma, Quince, and Bespoke Post, or at its stores in Brooklyn and Asheville, with a Washington, D.C. location forthcoming. Discounted, slightly flawed pieces are also available through the brand's Seconds sales, held in person around the country and online twice a year.
For a long time, I had a mishmash of tableware in my cabinets: old ceramic plates from my parents, a cheap plastic bowl and plate set I bought from Amazon, a soup bowl I got free from a work giveaway. My cabinets finally looked a little more pulled together when I got married and was gifted a pretty white (matching!) ceramic dinnerware set for our wedding.
Lately, though, I’ve been finding myself browsing the East Fork website, looking at all of the beautifully crafted tableware. While some of the brand’s offerings can be quite expensive, it’s the type of tableware you can collect over time and that never really goes out of style. Our editors at The Kitchn are big fans of East Fork, so I wanted to find out more about it. I talked to the brand’s founder and CEO, Alex Matisse, to get a better understanding of East Fork from the person who’s been there since the very beginning. I also asked our editors for their favorite picks from the brand. Now, I’m just trying to decide which plates and bowls to stock in my cabinets.
Yes. Not only is East Fork’s pottery absolutely beautiful, but it’s also durable and functional. You can collect pieces slowly over time or buy a bunch at once, depending on your budget. Plus, you can snag slightly blemished (although still high-quality) pieces for less through East Fork’s Seconds sales.
In case you’re new to the brand, East Fork is known for its gorgeous pottery, including bowls, plates, and the famous mug that has a habit of selling out. Today, the brand operates out of Asheville, North Carolina, crafting about 650,000 items every year, but Alex says, “East Fork didn’t begin as a brand; it began as a pottery.”
The story of East Fork actually starts on a former tobacco farm in North Carolina. Fresh off a three-year apprenticeship, Alex bought the land to build a kiln and establish his studio. He co-founded the company along with his now-wife Connie and current workshop director John Vigeland. The trio initially sold pots at galleries and craft shows until 2011, when they officially launched East Fork.
“We became curious about whether we could take the values and sensibilities of studio pottery — the attention to material, form, function, and the hand of the maker — and bring them into an American manufacturing environment,” says Alex. A driving force for them was impact, both for their community and the folks they employed. “That became one of the most important and animating motivations for growing the company in the first place.”
Now, East Fork has been in business for 15 years. “There are obviously a lot more machines involved today, but there are also an extraordinary number of hands that touch every piece along the way,” says Alex. This craftsmanship is a major tenet of East Fork’s wares.
I have exactly one item from East Fork: a limited-edition Kulhad made in collaboration with spice brand Diaspora Co. I’ve had this small, handle-less cup for four years, and it is a prized possession in my kitchen. Not only does it still look so good after all this time (just a teeny bit of light staining on the bottom), but it’s useful for so many things: sipping tea or wine, dunking cookies in milk, quickly reheating marinara, and stashing snacks to munch on while sitting on the couch.
It’s the attention to functionality and everyday use — as well as its approachable beauty — that makes East Fork’s tableware well worth the cost. “I was taught, and I still believe, that if you’re trying to make a functional pot, its function is just as important as its aesthetic qualities,” Alex says. “A dinner plate has to hold food well, stack efficiently, fit in your cabinet and dishwasher, and survive the use of everyday life.”
The Kitchn’s Food Editor Patty Catalano has quite a collection of East Fork in her kitchen, including bowls, plates, and mugs, and she says it is “100% worth it.” Why? Because she’ll “never have to buy another set of dishes again, and I could even see passing them onto my kids.”
Beyond that, Patty says they’ve held up so well over the years, they look like she just bought them. Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Funston has had ice cream bowls from East Fork for two years and echoed that sentiment: “They’re super-high-quality and look great, even after all the trips through the dishwasher that I’ve taken them through!”
While East Fork’s tableware is pricey and looks nice, it’s not a priceless heirloom to be seen and not touched. They’re intended to be used regularly and for a long time to come. “I think the best East Fork pots are beautiful enough that you notice them when you first bring them home, and useful enough that eventually you stop noticing them at all, but you reach for them again and again,” Alex says.
You can buy East Fork’s products on the brand’s website, as well Quince, Williams Sonoma, and Bespoke Post, among other shops. You can also pick them up in person from East Fork’s stores in Brooklyn and Asheville, North Carolina (with a Washington, D.C. store forthcoming).
Plus, you can snag discounts through the brand’s Seconds sales. “They are slightly flawed pieces, like maybe the glaze pooled somewhere or the stamp was off-center,” Patty says. “Totally beautiful and functional still!” You can find these sales moving throughout the country in-person or twice a year online.
Yes! Although some of East Fork’s tableware can be on the pricey side (dinnerware sets can cost up to $442), the cost is totally justified because of how long-lasting the pottery is and how well it functions in everyday life, being both microwave- and dishwasher-safe. Plus, there is a good array of colors offered — both core and seasonal — so you can build a set that matches your vibe, even if your vibe evolves over time. “People build their collections slowly, sometimes over many years, so we want someone to be able to buy a plate today and another color five years from now and have them feel like they belong at the same table,” Alex says. Start with a dinnerware set to kickstart your collection, or just buy a mug to slowly ease into it (like I’ll be doing).
Do you have any items from East Fork? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Original article: https://www.thekitchn.com/is-east-fork-worth-it-23840533?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Category%2FChannel%3A+main Source: Kitchn