Nathalee Paolinelli ceramics x Mæst Food Vegetables & Flowers Dinner

Mæst Food presents a seasonal dinner in collaboration with ceramic artist Nathalee Paolinelli, centered around foliages, early spring ingredients specially blossoms, and the meeting of food and objects.

On March 28 at Modus Coffee, Nathalee Paolinelli will install her ceramic flower bases across the counter space, accompanied by seasonal floral arrangements that transform the café into a temporary spring-yenvironment. Guests will experience the evening within this installation, where ceramics, flowers, and cuisine exist in dialogue.

We will serve 6 courses, 12 elements plant-based tasting menu inspired by the seasonal transition into spring, featuring wild / local edible blossoms, early shoots, and preserved elements carried over from winter, interpreted by Equinox of Sekki calender, through a Nordic–Japanese perspective.

The event continues Mæst Food’s exploration of dining as a spatial and collaborative experience, bringing together craft, design, and seasonal cooking.

Event Details
March 28, 2026
Modus Coffee — Mount Pleasant, 112 West Broadway, Vancouver
5:45 pm / 8:15 pm (2 hours)

Very limited seating since take home gifts are hand-crafted by Nathalee.

6 course(12 elements) dinner($100 value), take home ceramic gift(over $60 value), 18% Gratuity and tax are including the ticket price.

Drinks are available (BC natural wine / house made non archol drinks) to order at the table as a cash bar(we take credit card payments). *We require at least one drink order per guests.

We kindly ask that you do not bring your own drinks.

Additionally, we regret that we cannot serve individuals with severe allergies and we request lettingus know if you have allergy when submit your order since we can’t control it on the day.

Menu : We will change some items by seasonal availability.

4 snacks in a box : TBA

Local Hazelnuts ricotta, green strawberries, morels, flowering currant gel, wild sprouts, Seed crackers

Japanese milk bread & smoky butter

Main : coffee shoyu tare celeriac, Grated fresh BC truffle, fermented medlar miso savoy cabbage, local bean umami paste, hint of rose

Palette changer : spruce foam, fruit compote, magnolia, black currant leaf oil

Dessert : sunchoke chocolate semifreddo, tuille cookie,quince paste, arare crisps

Petit four : violet candy, chocolate

Chef | Food culture Researcher | Founder of Mæst Food

Tomoko Tahara is a Vancouver-based chef with over a decade of experience in ethical, plant-based cooking. Her culinary work centers on sustainable, seasonal ingredients—often foraged or sourced from local farms, using fermentation or other unique technique—and is guided by a deep respect for technique, culture, and nature.

Tomoko has honed her skills at some of Vancouver’s most respected restaurants, including AnnaLena, Published on main, and The Acorn. She also served as head chef at Harken Coffee, where her inventive, ingredient-focused approach brought a new perspective to plant-based cafe.

Her training includes an internship at Inua(closed by pandemic)—the Tokyo-based sister restaurant to Noma—and two terms at the MAD Academy in Copenhagen (2022 & 2024), where she further developed her focus on sustainability, fermentation, and leadership in the kitchen.

Nathalee Paolinelli

Nathalee is a Vancouver-based ceramic artist known for her sculptural vessels that sit between natural form and contemporary design. Raised in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, her work reflects a close relationship with coastal environments and an intuitive sensitivity to material, shaped by both Italian and Indigenous heritage.

Her practice enchanted with non- perfection yet perfection. Working directly with clay, Paolinelli allows movement, texture, and chance to guide each piece, resulting in organic forms that feel simultaneously delicate and grounded. The surfaces and silhouettes often recall marine and botanical life, creating objects that function as both vessels and sculptural presences.

Produced in small batches, her ceramics emphasize individuality and tactility, encouraging a slower engagement with everyday objects. Her work is featured in design-focused spaces such as Inform and Obakki, Œuvres (Marseille ) as well as worked with fine dining restaurants internationally such as Ernst, Baan Lao Stevestone.

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Host or Publisher Tomoko Tahara