Our Story

If you haven’t met us at a craft show, you might wonder who made these wooden pieces. Here’s our story—who we are, who we were, how we met, where and how we live now, what we believe in. Also a bunch of pictures for fun.

In the middle of the last century, a boy and girl messed about in opposite corners of the New England woods: climbing trees, building forts and exploring the natural world.

Later, we worked at various careers: Tom Vaiciulis as an engineer and designer, Meb Boden in theater and music. We each married, parented terrific kids, divorced, lived abroad, started over. 

Then on a drizzly Halloween night in a Rhode Island grocery store, fate intervened—though Tom still wonders if Meb really did lock her keys in the bookshop next door, compelling him to drive her home for an extra set!

The following Halloween, we sailed north from Trinidad and discovered we were grand partners at sea. The next sunny years featured Romance amid Caribbean palms and turquoise waters. A wedding in an ocean-side grove. Total eclipse of the sun seen from an active volcanic island. Perpetual repairs on our home—a 35-year-old, all-teak sailboat. International friendships and intrigue. Woodworking and stained glass in our island workshop. For 3 years, I wrote a column for All At Sea, a Caribbean boating magazine about the trials and wonders of living aboard a small boat. A compilation is in the works. However, we’d made an enemy and, while we visited up North, arson finished off our workshop.

Fortunately we’re “lemonade” kind of people: as in “Wow, that’s a pretty sour lemon—let’s make lemonade!” Now, many lemons later, we‘re back to messing about in the woods. Y2K found us clearing land to build a tiny (150 square feet!), elegant cabin a mile past the last power pole. Worthy partners on land as well as sea, we cut our own firewood, light with oil lamps and commute 3 miles to our rented, on-the-grid workshop. Our 21-acre homestead is constantly changing with the additions of gardens and pathways, fruit trees and assorted outbuildings. In 2009, we began work on a small solar home with low-tech plumbing and heating systems. In the spring of 2010, we had a fire in our cabin. We lost our roof, but we are fine and so are our belongings. CERF and our fabulous friends stepped in once again to help us financially and with reconstruction.

How Meb’s Kitchenwares Began

Our little cabin in Year 1. Read more about Meb & Tom & Wood.

Tom and I were cabinetmakers in 2000—actually Tom designed and built, I did the finish work (sanding, then coating with the appropriate finish—pretty dull for me). Out of our cabinet leftovers, we made fancy laminated cheese knives for our family presents.

I LOVED making the freeform pieces—no straight lines, no measuring—and began selling them locally at Garden Gate Florist. Next I made a piggy cutting board with a curly tail* for our son-in-law’s birthday. Friends gave me great advice on how to get started in craft shows and that was it! I was hooked on the making and the lifestyle. Tom kept us going with cabinets for a bit, then joined me full time.

We did our first craft show in 2003—at Roseland Cottage in our hometown, and loved the freeform lifestyle and the tight-knit community of craftspeople, a subculture similar to our yachting family.

In the workshop as at home, we exploit our “in sync” brains and fingers. We handpick each board, debate how best to use its grain & figure. We leave bits for each other to play with. We finish each other’s work. The result is a collaborative dance, with surprises along the way.  

Our goal is to make cooking & entertaining a visual and tactile pleasure. We imagine unknown hands enjoying the sensuous shapes, smooth textures, and luscious wood grains. We picture our utensils creating delectable recipes in kitchens around the world.

Though we live simply, when we’re at craft shows we enjoy luxuries that most take for granted—hotels with hot running water, central heating and  wearing nice, un-dusty clothes, plus we enjoy meeting interesting people and getting feedback about our work. But we come home grateful for chainsaws and sunsets, the bounty of our gardens, the creativity of the workshop and the snug beauty of our tiny nest. 

Our Work Force

Here they are—Meb’s Kitchenwares’ work force. Tom with the pencil, choosing the best possible grain. Meb carving the pig tail. Read further for the third hand.

*We do have some occasional helpers, thank goodness!—mostly younger people who help out in between school or other “real” jobs. Ethan has come for years—that’s his left hand on the cool sander (he’s a leftie) and his hand is in the picture because he REALLY helps Tom with the boards and me with the push-pulls and small tongs. He graduated college in spring 2010. Now what?

Chelsea took the pig with hands photo.  AND does the BEST wood burning. AND drew our logo—long ago before she graduated from Art School.

And when I’m in a jam just before a show, Gina or Mary will come over to rub in a final coat of finish or assemble tags on stretchy cords so I can pack the van. When Tom had his year of colon cancer surgery and treatments (2008-9) and I had my recovery (2007) from donating a kidney to a friend, these exceptional friends and others stepped in to help us through. Our grateful thanks!

A Wonderful Life

Doug contemplates a restoration puzzle in their antique home

On June 8, 2010 Doug Zimmerman's heart stopped while jogging. He was the husband of our website creator and new friend, Bet Zimmerman. Bet has created a website in dedication to his “Wonderful Life”, www.cragman.com. I urge you to wander through and see how this remarkable man has affected the life of a community. And how his wife’s unwavering vision, while grieving, has created a memorial that can live on to affect lives in the future.

Tom and I are so sad not to have known Doug well while he was alive. We had looked forward to his professional and fun perspective on our homestead in the woods. Often, while Bet and I waited through long downloads to the Meb’s Kitchenwares site and chatted about our lives, she said “Doug can answer that question, Doug will enjoy exploring there, he’ll like what you’re doing”. We looked forward to their visit to our incredible mountain laurel bloom this year.

It was clear that Bet and Doug had a committed relationship as close as Tom and I--bouncing ideas off of each other, encouraging, inspiring and bringing out the best in our partner.

When Tom was so sick, I had the luxury of time to try to figure out what my possibilities were for a future without him. I’m so glad I didn’t have to put my plans into action. Bet didn’t have that luxury. If you find the time to explore Doug’s website, maybe you could squeeze in a moment for a note to Bet. I know she’d value your words. Thank you.