Agave Workshop

Atelier Agave is a homeware brand founded by Joel Adank, a food photographer and designer based in Switzerland. Drawing on his experience, he designs and selects products that make your home unique – so every dinner party feels like an evening at your favorite restaurant. All products are carefully designed and ethically and sustainably manufactured by trusted partners around the world. His cookbooks can be found in over 20,000 Swiss kitchens – now, co-author Joel Adank has also created the plates that accompany his dishes, supplying some of his favorite restaurants. As a cookbook author and food photographer (for FOOBY, among others), Joel Adank was constantly looking for props to showcase his recipes: Beautiful plates and bowls, weathered wooden boards, and tea towels with captivating textures. Since he preferred to create these objects himself, he enrolled in an intensive pottery course in October 2021. "After all the photoshoots, I had developed a good intuition for which colors and shapes best complemented a dish." Gray, beige, and blue tones proved to be optimal contrasting tones for the warm colors of the meal.

"He didn't want to keep his new tableware to himself: He started looking for a manufacturer capable of mass-producing his creations. He found what he was looking for in Portugal and was able to inspire two restaurants with his idea at the same time, which gave him the necessary start-up financing.

Joel particularly enjoys the interaction with chefs and hoteliers in his work. On the one hand, it gives him ideas for new products, including decorative tableware such as vases and candlesticks. On the other hand, Joel feels empowered in his work: "When Andi Bolliger, head chef at the Rechberg 1837 restaurant, told me he was delighted with my pasta dish because it perfectly complemented his dishes, it was the greatest compliment I could imagine."

In addition to pottery, Joel has been able to learn other techniques such as woodturning. This opens up new possibilities for other products. "In addition to beautiful tableware, I dream of being able to create everything that surrounds it."

Joel named his studio and brand “Atelier Agave,” a tribute to the warmer spots around the world that Joel always wants to visit. “One day, designing an entire house in the south would be my dream.” But the aesthetic of his brand is also influenced by his studies, which Joel spent part of his time in Copenhagen. The naturally simple aesthetic, much appreciated in Scandinavia, suits Joel’s image and design style well.