At La Mar, Diego Oka turns out plate after plate—literally

The relationship between gastronomy and tableware has always been close and fruitful, with many chefs taking a keen interest in dishware and how their food is aesthetically presented. And now, Miami chef Diego Oka has taken that connection deeper by literally getting his hands into it, creating an eight-course tasting menu and all the dishware to accompany it, handcrafting over 400 pieces of pottery to accompany this culinary journey. It’s called Amano by Oka and it’s offered as an experience inside La Mar by Gastón Acurio at Mandarin Oriental, the Peruvian restaurant helmed by Oka at the glitzy Brickell Key hotel. Amano, means ‘by hand,’ and indeed, with this hands-on approach, creativity takes on its full meaning and is echoed both in the kitchen and in his ceramics.

When the pandemic hit, Oka didn’t just sit back; he took a seat at the potter’s wheel and began throwing clay. This eventually led to him to hone his skills and planted the seed for what would become Amano. “At the end of 2023, I started sketching ideas on paper for the plates I wanted to create. Around this time, I was also pitching the idea of making my own ceramic plates for La Mar. By February 2024, I was working on the first samples—testing colors, types of clay, glazing combinations, all of it. The idea started to evolve on its own, slowly becoming this beautiful and unique tasting menu,” explains Oka. “I wanted it to feel personal, something that really reflects who I am, not just through the food but the whole experience. All my life, I’ve been creating art that disappears in minutes. Now, I’m making art in minutes that will last for years.”

Oka hails from Peru and is a protege of Acurio, having worked under him since he was a teenager in culinary school and then going on to open several of his restaurants including the Miami outpost of La Mar in 2014, where he continues to serve as Executive Chef. He has steered the 300-seat restaurant to the success it is today, having been recognized by the inaugural Florida Michelin Guide as a recommended restaurant and having recently received a coveted inclusion in the reputable World’s 50 Best Discovery list. With the tasting menu at Amano, Oka is able to play with the conventions of Nikkei cuisine while also delving deeper into Peruvian cooking techniques and its influences, incorporating Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, and Andean elements. Each course is presented on a carefully crafted ceramic piece, with the shape and color of the vessel playing a role in how the dish is prepared and perceived. To make the pieces, Oka converted a hotel room at the Mandarin into his ceramics studio, taking out beds and furniture and installing shelves and workdesks onto the plush premises.

Oka finds that his ceramics work allows him to present his dishes with another layer of artistry. “I’ve felt connected to art from a very young age. My father is a painter and an art collector, so I grew up surrounded by it. I’ve always seen plates or china as blank canvases waiting to be filled,” says Oka. “But in the kitchen, when we create food, we work with materials that are already made—we go to the store and buy what’s available. With Amani by Oka, I wanted to approach it differently. I designed the plates specifically for the food I wanted to serve, enhancing the presentation, the way I envisioned the guest eating it, and weaving in the storytelling of the entire experience.”

And indeed the dishes tell a story from the very start with a first course, La Flor, which presents a pink beet Peruvian causa festooned with a crown of edible flowers, osetra caviar and 24K gold flakes, evoking ‘ikebana,’ the Japanese art of flower arranging nestled on top of a thick slab-like plate representing the Brutalism architectural style prevalent throughout Peru. The second course, a tiradito, is served in a round-shaped bowl that is inspired by a Murano glass dish that Oka previously designed for the 2018 Milan Design Fair, with carved edges perfect for spooning up the nationally treasured dish. And, when pressed, Oka admits this is his favorite piece in the collection. “If I had to choose, I’d pick the SEV plate, where I serve the tiradito course,” says Oka. “The original concept featured two pieces—one made from Murano glass and the other from Carrara marble. The idea was to design a cebiche dish that could be instantly recognized as Peruvian, even by the shape of the vessel. I wanted it to stand apart from other styles of cebiche, like Mexican or Ecuadorian, while staying true to our identity.”

There are also keepsakes and mementos that offer moments of wonder and whimsy. At the beginning of the experience guests receive printed postcards of each piece with abstract illustrations and high-quality photography depicting the dishes, offering guidance on the artistic journey. And a playful moment comes towards the end of the meal when a server presents each guest with an iconic red viewfinder toy, here showing a slideshow of Oka at work in his studio and photos of the pieces being made. The most meaningful gift, though, is when a guest is offered to choose their hand-crafted dessert spoons to use for dessert and then presented with a beautiful keepsake box to take the spoon home. That dessert—a dish of white asparagus ice cream paired with caramelized red onions and a reduction of Modena balsamic vinegar, is topped with crunchy quinoa pop and a drizzle of olive oil, then finished with Maras salt from Cusco—is as memorable as the spoons used to eat it, a fitting coda to the imaginative feast. A final parting gift of homemade Peruvian pancake batter or ‘panqueqes’ made with sweet potato, kabocha squash, and anise seeds along with a jar of fig honey spiced with cloves allows guests to create a homey breakfast the next day, with a sweet touch.

For now, the eight-course experience is being offered three nights a week, from Thursdays through Saturdays with two seatings a night (the experience lasts about two and half hours) with an optional wine pairing. And here, Oka’s foray into ceramics has given form to his flavors, proving that he’s mastered the art of firing up all the senses. With Amano, Oka is turning clay the way he creates dishes—with creativity and soul.