How it all came to be...

Vegetabowls began 14 years ago in Lexington, Massachusetts while I was teaching a ceramics class. I asked my students to each bring in a fruit or vegetable for a lesson on slip-casting and plaster mold-making. I stopped by a farm stand on my way to work and bought a cantaloupe to use for my demonstration. After the class, I finished the Cantaloupe Bowl with orange glaze on the inside and beige glaze on the outside, just like the real thing. When I brought the finished bowl home to Justin, he was amazed. He said, "We have to make all kinds of fruit and vegetable bowls.... vegetabowls!"

Our line is constantly evolving and expanding with each trip to the farmer’s market and each passing season. Vegetabowls™ aims to promote local farming, healthy eating, and an appreciation for handmade functional house wares.

The inspiration to create our line of slip-cast functional pottery comes from nature. By translating nature's designs into clay we are able to invoke a new appreciation for everyday objects. Fruits and vegetables have such a variety of shapes, colors, and textures. We are intrigued by the cantaloupe's rough, dry outside texture contrasting its smooth, bright, and sweet interior. By casting directly from the actual fruit or vegetable, we are able to replicate these designs in each bowl.

Vegetabowls is a small ceramics studio in Sarasota, FL. Each item is handmade by Melanie and Justin Mckenney. The two attended Alfred University where they both received Bachelors in Fine Arts degrees. After graduating Melanie and Justin moved to Boston, MA. Melanie taught ceramics at a non-profit art center, and Justin was an instructor at a public access glassblowing studio. In 2010 they got married and launched Vegetabowls. They now live in Sarasota, FL with their children, Lyla & Reed and dogs, Charlie & River.