Straight to the Source: Nine Generations Deep, Revol Stands Strong

Last month, I had the privilege of being in the passenger seat. The drive along the winding country roads surrounding Revol is a storybook setting. The ancient stone façade of the original factory and the home of his relatives dating back to 1768 emerged on a blustery fall day in late September, just as the leaves were beginning to change in Saint-Uze, France, a small village in southeastern France.

It makes sense that the Bocuse d’Or, considered by many to be the culinary Olympics, takes place just a 45-minute drive away, in Lyon, widely considered the epicenter of French cooking. After all, it was here that Paul Bocuse, the namesake of the biennial cooking competition, is known to have fathered what we now consider modern French cuisine.

“French gastronomy and the French art of living are deeply embedded in the DNA of our brand, which has a 260-year history,” says Passot, CEO of Revol Porcelain. “More than modernization, our focus is on preserving the uniqueness and desirability of the brand. We draw part of our inspiration from the roots of our French heritage, which has been passed down for more than two centuries.”

We were honored, blessed and cursed to have the lunch of a lifetime at Paul Bocuse on our first day in France. At the table here, it’s impossible to subdue a deep swell of emotion with each course…after course… after course. Gleaming and effortless service is as finely polished as the collection of silver-plated urns, sauce boats and custom-engraved flatware that marks each table.

It’s the same feeling of sincerity you experience inside the Revol factory, from the production floor to its posh, polished design workshop and ‘the caves’, a library of archived Revol pieces that span the brand’s entire history and reflect its rich French heritage.

“When you’re supporting a factory like Revol, you’re preserving centuries of knowledge and artistry that will otherwise be lost,” says Alexander Selig, Senior Account Executive for Singer Equipment Company and my ride-or-die colleague for factory tours, tasting menus, wine selections, and adventures around the world. With decades of hospitality experience, from the kitchen to the dining floor and now as one of Singer’s leading tabletop consultants, Selig is a natural for a trip like this. An appetite for knowledge, travel and, yes, eating helps.

Also by my side was Jeff Castor, Founder of Kesher Hospitality, the New York-Metro rep group making waves in the market with a strong line card of preferred Singer Tabletop partners, including, of course, Revol.

“Revol is a brand whose story deserves to be told,” says Castor. “Communicating that value requires knowledge, passion, and an appreciation for what sets the brand apart. Singer’s commitment to tabletop education and its ability to bring that story to life make them exceptionally well suited to represent Revol and connect its unique qualities with customers.”

Recognizing opportunities for a brand like Revol is not easy and requires a team of subject matter experts. In today’s landscape, where copies of original designs can be easily mass-produced, it’s important to distinguish a real work of art from a fake.

“Our industry often falls into patterns where uniformity takes over creativity and skills are lost through time,” says Selig. “By supporting heritage brands, you are also supporting communities, families and innovation to proceed forward into the future.”

Another barrier to break down, he says, is the definition of what ‘luxury’ means and how it can and should be able to accessible to everyone.

“Luxury is defined in the small details and careful placements of design cues while using the best raw materials to build the support around that story,” says Selig.

The makers at Revol are no strangers to attention to detail.

“We are committed to continually renewing our offering through highly crafted new collections, designed by internationally renowned designers and developed with the ambition of constantly reinventing the art of the table; through shapes, uses, textures, finishes, and colors,” says Passot. “Contre-Jour is the result of three years of work and seems perfectly aligned with this approach.”

Beyond that, Contre-Jour is a new recipe of Revol’s signature French porcelain that’s crafted to look and feel like terracotta while offering the durability needed for hospitality.

Revol will forever have a seat at our table, and it deserves one at yours too. For samples and more inspiration, please contact at tabletop@singerequipment.com.