Over 20 years ago, two young culinary students began a lifelong friendship cemented by the shared dream of making their mark on the restaurant scene. Tom Malycha became a professional chef, apprenticing in some of the city's best kitchens. Rudy Guo, with his entrepreneurial spirit, looked for business opportunities around the current trends in hospitality. Together, the boys came to recognize the need for accessible and rugged modern plateware in an industry where expensive and fragile European porcelain was the fashion. 

Rudy grew up in his parents’ Chinese restaurant. Fluent in Mandarin as well as the culture of Chinese business, he quickly forged partnerships with ceramic manufacturers in Chaozhou, the birthplace of pottery. The two friends began designing and importing gleaming white plates which Tom sold to local chefs out of the trunk of his car. Spirit Wares steadily built a reputation for supplying beautiful and virtually indestructible tableware at good prices and expansion was soon on the horizon.

Calgary chef and long-time Spirit Wares customer Cam Dobranski partnered with the founders as the Western Canada representative. As the brand continued to grow, his close friend and fellow chef Louis Clement joined the team, playing an important role in building its presence across the West. And, some years later, Toronto chef Matt Dean Petit joined the Spirit group, bringing along his ties to the hospitality industry and his strong social media presence to promote the brand.

Industry trends eventually shifted away from the crisp white aesthetic of fine-dining towards more rustic, home-style presentations. Spirit Wares was first on the scene, designing new earthenware and ceramic plates with colourful reactive glazes, organic textures and sculptural forms that became the creative canvas for chefs looking to push the boundaries of food presentation.

Today, Spirit Wares can be found on tables everywhere from mom’n’pop shops to Michelin starred dining rooms. Our online shop caters to professionals as well as home cooks and several retail partners provide for in-person shopping. From our humble beginnings to our current position as the largest independent supplier of plateware in Canada, we are grateful for all the people who have made Spirit Wares their go-to for modern, durable and affordable designs. It is our goal to constantly inspire with new colours, materials, textures and forms for your professional and home kitchen.