To mark NYCxDesign 2026, USM presents Food Form Function, a collaboration with New York-based culinary studio Pinch Food Design that reimagines its SoHo flagship showroom through food, movement and interaction.

For the occasion, USM invites Creative Director Marjorie Artieres and Executive Chef Bob Spiegel – the power  duo behind Pinch – to approach the showroom not as a fixed environment, but as a playground for culinary experimentation. What began as a simple question for Artieres and Spiegel – what if food could be performed, not just plated? – unfolded into the creation of what became their signature “Food Furniture” and a style of service that blurs the lines between cuisine and spectacle, one where roles are shifted and expectations are gently undone.

At the core of the collaboration between USM and Pinch is a shared instinct for transformation. USM’s modular construction is all about endless possibilities. For Pinch, the logical extension to this modular approach is for USM’s design to actively participate in the serving of the food, rather than simply acting as a display surface. With Food Form Function, the USM experience gains another layer of adaptability and play.

Throughout the installation, visitors encounter eight bespoke USM pieces, co-created with Pinch Food Design. A traditional drawer unit becomes a peek-a-boo dessert display; a stacked shelving unit acts as a Lazy Susan offering a 360 view of a ten-foot tart; Pinch’s cocktail fountain emerges from a USM base, marking the first time the system both serves and chills a cocktail.

For Pinch – whose ethos is about exploring the many facets of hospitality – the collaboration feels instinctive. By bringing imagination and excellent design together, Food Form Function investigates how much you can play with your food. “Pinch thinks outside of the plate”, says Marjorie Artieres. “The moment we stepped into USM’s space, we imagined how people could experience food in unexpected ways. The beauty of USM  lies in its openness, in its ability to become something beyond what was initially intended. As we discovered together, it turns out a USM credenza can also make for a great cocktail fountain!”

Bob Spiegel is the Chef and Founder of Pinch Food Design. With 40+ years of culinary expertise, he is a master of taking risks and redefining what’s possible. As sous at Glorious Food in the ’80s, his varied culinary adventures sharpened his mastery of flavors, catering for icons like Andy Warhol, David Bowie, and Grace Kelly. After founding and running another catering company for 21 years, Bob set out to revolutionize catering once again, this time by launching Pinch Food Design. Since then, he has been pushing boundaries, crafting solutions, and creating iconic, one-of-a-kind experiences.
@bob.spiegel

Marjorie Artieres is the Creative Director and a Partner at Pinch Food Design. She is a native of Paris with a Master’s in Industrial Design from Central Saint Martins of London. Marjorie's approach is multi-disciplinary and multi-medium, interweaving inspirations from across the culinary, design, art and cultural landscapes. She has worked in collaboration with Michelin starred restaurants, global luxury brands including LVMH, and leaders in art and design including Vitra, Apparatus and MoMA. Marjorie leads Pinch’s innovative food design studio which creates experiential and functional culinary interactions and furniture designed with material and life cycle sustainability at its core.

@marjorie.artieres