Some collaborations begin as a formal idea. This one began more naturally.
For more than 15 years, Pinch Food Design has been using Tina Frey Designs pieces in their catering events, often in ways we never could have imagined. Hanging flowerpots became vessels for food. Pedestal bowls turned into a taco station. Serving boards moved through events in endless, inventive ways.
It has always been a joy to see our pieces leave the studio and take on another life in their hands.
So when the idea for a collaboration came up, it did not feel like starting from scratch. It felt like continuing a conversation that had been happening for years.
From event pieces to dream pieces
The collection, called SOFT SERVE, debuted during NYCxDesign 2026 and grew from a fluid exchange about pieces Pinch had wanted for years but could never quite find. Many of the forms came out of real need, which is what made the process feel so alive.
Pinch works on large, elaborate events where food is part of the experience. Their serving pieces have to move through a room, carry unusual shapes, and still feel memorable in someone’s hand. A completely flat tray does not always work when a bite has height, sauce, texture, or movement.
That was the interesting challenge. How do you make a serving piece that is practical, but still playful? How do you design something that can hold food securely without losing the sense of surprise?
The answer became a group of sculptural serving pieces that sit somewhere between hospitality tool and design object. They are made to be used, carried, passed, filled, and noticed.
The art of serving in motion
One of the things I have always admired about Pinch is that they think about food as an experience. Not just what is being served, but how it moves through a room, how people receive it, and how a small bite can become a moment.
That way of thinking shaped the Garçon Tray, Spoonful Tray, Groove Tray, Pedesbowl, and Holesome Tray. Each one responds to a different gesture of service: passing drinks, holding individual bites, supporting rounded forms, stacking and nesting, or presenting something vertical and unexpected.
The pieces have a little humor in them, but they are not decorative for the sake of being decorative. Every curve has a reason. Every surface was considered around a type of food, a hand in motion, or the rhythm of a gathering. That is where handmade serveware becomes something more personal.
Why it felt so special to see them used
The launch party was the moment when everything came full circle.
After all the conversations, sketches, prototypes, and adjustments, the pieces were finally in motion. They were being carried around the room, filled with food, touched by guests, and used exactly as Pinch had imagined.
That part was a dream come true.
The shapes immediately caught people’s attention. They were unexpected, but they made sense once they were being used. That is always the most satisfying place for a piece to land: when it feels surprising and natural at the same time.
Bringing that feeling home
Although the collection was born from large events, I love the idea that the same spirit can come into the home. A dinner party does not need to be elaborate to feel memorable. Sometimes one thoughtful serving piece changes the whole mood.
It might hold small bites before dinner, glasses being passed around the room, or something simple from the farmers market. The point is not to make entertaining feel complicated. It is to make the act of serving feel a little more joyful, whether you are using a new SOFT SERVE piece or reaching for favorite dining pieces you already love.
That is something Pinch understands beautifully. Food can be generous, playful, sculptural, and relaxed all at once.
A shared love of useful, beautiful objects
At Tina Frey Designs, we have always believed that functional objects can still hold feeling. A bowl, tray, or serving board can be quiet, minimal, and useful, but it can also bring a sense of joy to the table.
This collaboration gave us a chance to explore that idea through the lens of food and hospitality. Pinch brought their imagination around service and presentation. We brought our hand-sculpted resin forms, soft edges, and love of objects that feel good to use.
Together, the pieces became something neither of us would have made alone.
A natural extension of the table
SOFT SERVE feels connected to the way we already think about serveware, but with a more theatrical edge. It sits beside our everyday dining pieces while opening another door into performance, movement, and hospitality.
That is the beauty of a good collaboration. It stretches the work without pulling it away from its center.
For us, the center is still the same: handmade pieces that are useful, sculptural, food-safe, and meant to be lived with. Pieces that can move from an event in New York to a dinner table at home and still feel completely at ease.
Explore Tina Frey Designs serveware and discover handmade, food-safe resin pieces designed for food, gathering, and the small moments that make a table feel alive.
