We've all been there: You're at a party with a glass of wine in one hand and a slider in the other. When you bite in, chipotle mayo oozes out, and suddenly you need a third hand.
TJ Girard and Bob Spiegel saw this as a design offense--and a business opportunity. So in 2011, the former TV set designer and the chef teamed up to launch Pinch Food Design, a catering company that creates culinary experiences as imaginative as they are practical.
Rather than forcing guests to pick up a fluke crudo appetizer with their hands, Pinch serves it on a custom-designed fork, displayed upright by means of a magnetic strip on a wooden serving tray. At a recent party it catered for an athletic brand launching a new air-inspired shoe, the company whipped up light, fluffy hors d'oeuvres displayed to appear as if they were floating.