Utensils Should
NEVER Touch Tables.
Period.
Utility Patent: US 10,555,630 B2
Rebekah Green
Founder & CEO
Designer and sustainable lifestyle expert, Rebekah Green, has been an innovator in the realms of health, wellness, and cutting-edge product development for the past two decades. Having started her career building state-of-the-art green homes, Rebekah’s affinity for form & function, paired with a lifelong love of health and good food, is what led to her current venture.
A “why didn’t I think of that?” kind of idea, The Uplift is a place setting tableware accessory that has the potential to change the way we eat forever. As she puts it, “It just looks better. It feels better. And it functions better.”
Never considering herself a ‘germaphobe’, perse, Rebekah conceived of the invention out of a basic desire for a cleaner, more organized dining experience. Initially co-opting a Jenga block, she found a way to lift her utensils up and off of a table’s surface by using this small prop, which could easily fit in her purse. Having come across articles on the “dirtiest places in restaurants”, she knew that the ratty white rags we all see wiping down tables often did more harm than good when it came to sanitation.
As she looked around, she noticed other diners’ unique solutions to the same cutlery concern. Whether casual dining or fine dining, there were additional plates being ordered, extra napkins requested, sugar packets repurposed, paper wrappers origami-ed, knives balanced between fork prongs, and the edge-propping of silverware as far as the eye could see. At restaurants with crisp white tablecloths, she still saw a need for elevating utensils in a more sophisticated and elegant fashion.
After extensive research into the restaurant supply industry, Rebekah found nothing that addressed this fundamental need. So, within six months, she created 60 designs in 10 different materials, filed the necessary patents, and Dining Elevated, Inc. was born. Dedicated to enhancing the dining experience from an aesthetic as well as public health perspective, Uplifts™ as she branded them, would come in stone, steel, brass, copper, wood, and acrylic.
In January 2019, Uplifts were picked up by Edward Don & Company, the third largest foodservice distributor in the US. A third generation family company, they are excited to bring this table service product to market and launch the category industry-wide alongside Rebekah. Leaders in hospitality, like Conrad Hotels, W Hotels, and celebrity chefs, like Michael and Bryan Voltaggio, already count themselves as customers.
In February 2019, Ms. Green was nominated for the NSF International Food Safety Leadership Award. The Uplift also gained recognition in the scientific and health inspection community when the University of Arkansas Food Science Department conducted conclusive research on the risk mitigation benefits of Uplifts as barriers to cross-contamination. The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) then selected that research for presentation at their annual conference in Nashville in July 2019.
Saving the best for last, the reality food competition show Top Chef began using Uplifts on its judging tables in season 16. It marks the first time in the history of the show that the producers added a new tableware accessory to Top Chef’s place settings. Finally, the Journal of Environmental Health published the expanded manuscript of UARK's research in November 2019.
Rebekah's greatest passion in life is bringing consumer protection, peace of mind, and well-being to every diner in the world. She plans to accomplish this through the power and simplicity of Dining Elevated's Uplift.