About Our Company

 

American Made : Woman Owned

Cook on Clay was launched in 2010 as a response to a growing customer base demanding more and newly designed flameware products. Cook on Clay pottery is 100% designed and handmade in America. Most other high quality cookware sold in America is made by European companies in Asia. Resisting the siren song of foreign manufacturing, Cook on Clay has invested in building a sustainable woman-owned local business.

Founders Robbie Lobell and Maryon Attwood are experienced clay artists who have long used flameware in their work. Working from their studios and manufacturing annex on Whidbey Island in northwest Washington, they have built a company around the idea that there is no better way to prepare and present food than in handmade pottery.

We believe cooking and serving food in handmade pottery forges connections -- with the farms that grow it, the earth that nourishes it, and the people who share it. As our company grows, reaching customers across America and beyond, we hope that those connections will take root in many communities.

The Cook on Clay mission and vision celebrates the importance of slow food, local food, international food, and the communities these foster. Continuing a long tradition of American craftsmanship, Cook on Clay melds beauty and utility in every piece to honor the deeply gratifying, universal act of cooking.

Entrepreneurship

At Cook on Clay, we strive to become a model for entrepreneurial U.S. artisan manufacturing -- inspiring designers and artists to look towards domestic production and small U.S. manufacturers to think creatively about their business models. Ultimately, we believe local values-based businesses offers greater long-term rewards than can ever be achieved in chasing higher short-term profits by sending manufacturing oversees.

Artisan manufacturers will have a social impact on future artists and craftspeople. The general public will have increased access to well-designed products made locally. Artisans are becoming manufacturers as new technologies allow fine design and excellent quality to be produced in quantity. This blend of craftsperson, businessperson, and manufacturer holds the future for ceramic production.
Education is a core value of Cook on Clay. Beyond educating people about good food, cooking, and ceramic cookware, Cook on Clay is committed to educating the next generation of young women looking to studio arts as a career choice in sustainable business practices and the advantages of expanding their choices of tools to include manufacturing through our Zakin Apprenticeship Program.