Crucial Detail | Chicago, IL Kastner, born in the Czech Republic, trained as a blacksmith and restored historical metalworks at a castle in Western Bohemia before moving to natural materials design and sculpture. He founded Crucial Detail in 1998, after his arrival in the US. He is best known for his Alinea serviceware concepts, which landed him on The Future Laboratory's list of 100 most influential individuals in contemporary design. He is also the designer behind The Porthole Infuser, a beautiful infusion vessel originally created for The Aviary. The Porthole has been featured in dozens of publications and is used in the world's most prestigious bars, hotels, restaurants and the MoMA store. Kastner received the 2014 IHHA Global Innovation Award for Best Product Design and is the designer behind Team USA platter and tools for Bocuse d’Or 2015 and 2017, helping Team USA win silver and gold for the first time in history. Click here to read Roots curator Jody Eddy's interview with Martin Kastner: Serviceware Magician.