Eats

UL student bowls 'em over

Industrial design student Silvana Zaldivar works on a prototype of her Suma Mixing Bowl
Photo submitted

UL Lafayette student Silvana Zaldivar has earned a trip to the International Home + Housewares show in Chicago next month for her revolutionary Suma Mixing Bowl design.

Zaldivar, a senior industrial design major at UL, designed the Suma Mixing Bowl specifically to allow a baker to mix and pour ingredients with one hand. The bowl contains a built-in, crescent-shaped “spatula” that can be pushed across the inside of the bowl. As the spatula is pushed, the bowl holds firmly in a slanted position thanks to a special base, which is made of a thermoplastic elastomer that combines plastic and rubber to helps the bowl “grip” the surface it is resting on.

According to Zaldivar, the specially designed bowl is meant to accommodate users with disabilities, or who are multitasking as they cook. It also offers a more efficient method for “scraping a bowl of leftover ingredients.”

Zaldivar began tinkering with the project at UL, first with sketches, then computer modeling, and then by completing a plastic prototype.

The design of the Suma Mixing Bowl earned Zalvidar a trip to the International Home Housewares show in Chicago next month.

In December, she entered the Suma Mixing Bowl in the International Housewares Student Design Competition where it was among 11 designs singled out from a total of 246 submissions from college students in the United States and other countries.

The Suma Mixing Bowl earned an honorable mention and the opportunity to be displayed at the International Home + Housewares show, which will be held March 7-10.

Approximately 50,000 people are expected to attend the trade show, where Zaldivar will get to promote her product to potential manufacturers and mingle with industry professionals.

Learn more about Zaldivar and her work at www.silvanazaldivar.com.