About LuMochi

My name is Lu, and two loves have shaped my life for as long as I can remember: food and pottery.

My relationship with stoneware clay started in a high school pottery class — and that was it. I was hooked. From that moment I couldn't stop imagining everything I wanted to make: small cups, bowls, plates, pots, vessels for every corner of the kitchen and table. There's something almost meditative about working with clay, the way it responds to your hands, the way a shapeless lump slowly becomes something you'll eat from every morning.

And that's exactly where food and pottery meet. A meal doesn't begin when the first bite is taken; it begins the moment food is placed on something beautiful. The weight of a hand-thrown bowl, the slight imperfection of a glazed rim, the way a ceramic mug holds heat just a little longer and these things change how food feels, how it tastes, how much you slow down to enjoy it. Clay and cooking are both acts of care. Both are about transforming raw, humble things into something nourishing.

I started LuMochi because I wanted to bring those two worlds together. Every piece in our shop is hand-thrown, hand-built, or sculpted by our ceramicists and hand-painted with the little moments of everyday life: the funny, the cute, the cozy. Because your table deserves more than a plain white plate. It deserves something made with hands, and made with love.

If you’re like us, there’s still a sense of child-like joy when a package arrives on your doorsteps, no matter what time of year it is.

As you start plotting your next gorgeous tablescape or while you're sipping a cup of peach oolong in your new mug, it’s the perfect time to slow down and consider those little practices of everyday care that may seem mundane, but are really an opportunity to experience something sublime.

Take dishwashing for example. It could fall into the category of dreaded household chores. But what if it could be approached differently? What if that sink full of dirty pots gave you a moment to pause and take a breath, to bask in the warm water cascading across your hands, to let everything else you’re carrying slip away while you stand at the sink? Over time, those gorgeous little moments of intentionality add up to wellness.

We designed LuMochi pieces with practicality in mind. But you still might want to know how to care for your new vessels. Look no further. We’ve got answers.

1) Can I put my LuMochi dishes in the dishwasher?

Yes, absolutely. Our dishes are used in commercial dishwashers in restaurants and coffee shops and are plenty happy in your home dishwasher. The plates fit great in there, too.

2) Can I put my dishes in the microwave?

Yes, absolutely. Our team once tried to break a plate in a microwave by cooking a whole, frozen Honeybaked Ham in it for like 45 minutes and couldn't do it. Then we microwaved like 15 servings of frozen bacon to see if that would do the trick.

Still no luck. However, if your piece already has a hairline fracture in it, moisture might get in there and pop it open. So please don't microwave cracked pottery.

3) I've been using my dishes for a while and I'm noticing some scratch marks. What can I do?

Most of our glazes are more dense than most cutlery. As you drag your fork and knife across your plates and bowls, little trails of metal from your cutlery might get left behind. It's usually pretty easy to scour these out with stuff you probably already have in your kitchen and a little elbow grease.

  1. Choose your scouring powder — either something commercially available like Bon Ami or Bar Keepers Friend, or make your own by mixing lemon juice and baking soda.
  2. Find a scrubber — we found that the harsher side of an ordinary sponge worked fine, but a slightly extra abrasive scrubber means you don’t have to work as hard.
  3. Apply and scrub — spread the powder or paste to your piece and scrub for about a minute or two.
  4. Rinse and wash — rinse it off. Make sure you clean with soapy water before eating on its surface. Voila! It's that simple.