Nathaniel Mell is the founder and CEO of Felt+Fat, a ceramic design, and manufacturing studio serving both professional and at-home chefs. Nate Mell started the Philadelphia-based company in 2014 after graduating from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and working at the world-renown Philadelphia Clay Studio.
Before his foray into ceramic design, Nate gained experience that included working in a variety of media, including glass, metal, wood, and mold-making. The opportunity to design a beautiful line of plates for Eli Kulp’s award-winning restaurant ‘High Street on Market’ oriented Mell towards exploring ceramic design in-depth. In doing so, he came up with the concept for a ceramic design studio catering to the Hospitality industry. The company name, Felt+Fat, came as a nod to the material explorations and theories of midcentury artist Joseph Beuys, one of Mell’s favorite artists.
Today, Nate Mell’s Felt and Fat has a track record of working with over 100 restaurants worldwide, producing more than 30,000 pieces annually, and being featured in the NY Times, the Forbes 30 under 30 list, and many other publications. Timeless design, ethical manufacturing, and intentionality toward relationships are the core values of the ever-growing team at Felt+Fat.
We recently got a chance to interview Nate.
Nate, Thank you for talking with us. What are the projects that you most enjoy working on?
I most enjoy working on custom projects, specifically for restaurants. Great chefs are artists and our mutual respect for craft and the collaborative energy involved in making a new shape or finish is really exciting. When my part is done I then get to see how they interact with the design, plating their food and presenting it in the context of the restaurant elevates it all to another level.
What was your biggest ‘a-ha’ moment?
This was early on. When I started this business I had been working in restaurants for nearly 8 years, supporting myself as an artist, and a chef asked if I could make him plates for a new restaurant. I said yes and initially took it on as a little gig to make a few dollars. Somewhere during the course of that project, I realized that the top restaurant in the world at the time (Noma) was using custom, hand-made tableware and that meant every aspiring chef in the world would be wanting to do the same now, we were on the crest of what could be a seachange in hospitality tableware. It was an exciting realization and what really prompted me to take this much more seriously.
What has been the most important part of your professional journey?
Understanding the importance of planning. I have never been much of a planner, very good at thinking on my feet and getting done what’s right in front of me, but over the years I’ve learned that sustainable growth happens when you pair that ability with solid, diligent planning and execution.
What are some of the risks that your company is currently facing?
We are currently looking at a lot of avenues for growth. Manufacturing means you are always walking that line of demand vs. supply. If you’re over-supplied that means you’re wasting money, if you’re undersupplied you disappoint customers. We have been growing quite a bit but are looking at rolling the dice on some big purchases that will help us up the supply side significantly, but the risk that the demand doesn’t pan out to justify the expense is always a scary thing.
What would you do with unlimited resources?
Create a top-of-the-line production facility with a best-in-class R&D studio bringing in young, world-class talent to create inventive and exciting new products.
When was the last time you totally lost yourself in doing something?
I routinely lose track of time while working on new designs, it’s easily one of the best parts of the job.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
My off time is spent with my wife and dog primarily. We go for hikes, cook great meals, mix cocktails and read aloud together or spend afternoons working on remodeling our small home (currently painting a new ceiling we put up last month).
You and your team at Felt+Fat are already making a positive impact with the “BadThings Happen in Philadelphia” product line. What more do you feel you can do to make a difference in your local community?
The BadThings line of products was a really fun experiment that allowed us to send money to causes we thought were worthwhile, we’ve often found things like that to do over the years but what I am most excited about moving forward is to be working with Baker Industries here in Philly. Baker finds work for hard-to-employ individuals; primarily the recently incarcerated. We’ve just recently hired our second employee through this program and are so happy to be providing jobs for individuals in our community who would have a hard time finding work otherwise. Not only do we get to help the community, but they have also been some of our best staff! It’s a win-win.
