Disposable Dinnerware - Measuring about 1/8-inch thick, this VerTerra disposable leaf-ware is made from fallen palm leaves and water. “It looks natural. It’s interesting. It’s actually a beautiful piece of dinnerware, and it can be washed and reused,” says Mistie Hague, co-owner of Scottsdale-based online retailer shoptobegreen.com. As pictured: 8-inch square plates retail at $78 for 100. Leaf trays and bowls are also available in bulk packs. Available online at shoptobegreen.com.

From elegant to disposable, Valley shop owners serve up a variety of bowls and platters.

Good presentation hides a multitude of sins. Even no-nonsense celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has been known to stop and savor the dazzling display of cuisine.

Local boutique and shop owners can help your dinner table dazzle, too, with handsome inventories of handcrafted serving dishes. These glass, aluminum and ceramic beauties will lend a uniquely Southwestern flair to any dinner table.

For example, Mary Axe, owner of the Oak Creek gift shop in Scottsdale, only works with western artists. “People from the state of New York don’t come out here to buy things made in Brooklyn,” she quips.

Her collection of exclusive glass bowls reflects her larger belief that for every dinnerware collection, there is a serving dish to dress it up. “Everyone puts a bowl of flowers as a centerpiece, but well-placed, colorful serving dishes can make your table just as elegant and fun,” she says.

Meanwhile, Valley online retailer shoptobegreen.com is doing a booming business in disposable eco-friendly plates and platters made from fallen palm leaves that are gathered, pressed and fully biodegradable.

So, whether you’re looking to impress your dinner party with kiln-fused glass drizzled with 24-carat gold, or go easy on the environment with compostable dinnerware at a large corporate gathering, several Valley shop owners stand ready to, well, serve.

Glass Bowls Handcrafted locally by Litchfield Park artist Melissa Branzell and made exclusively for Oak Creek, these glass bowls are the product of a technique called “warm glass kiln fusion,” in which two fragment bodies are fused together. Both bowls feature hand-drawn 24-carat gold. The 12 1/2-inch “Red” bowl is $214. The 15-inch “Orange” bowl is $225. Matching salad forks for both bowls: $43 a pair. Available at Oak Creek, 8787 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale (the Shops at Gainey Village), oakcreek2.com.

Ceramic Servers These “hand-thrown” ceramic pieces crafted at Kiri Pottery in Apache Junction are available at Chandler gift shop Sibley’s West. Swirls of blue, chocolate brown and lighter tan are featured in complementary pieces: a wine chiller ($69.95), chip and dip ($44.95) with spoon rest ($11.95), and a large flop bowl ($77.95). Available at Sibley’s West, 72 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler, sibleyswest.com.

Forged Aluminum Servers Two Plates Full owner Terri Weisz calls these forged aluminum serving pieces “unique, elegant and upscale jewelry for the table.” The 9-inch bowl (top left, $96) is great for salads, fruit or pasta; the smaller oval bowl (top right, $35) and matching spoon ($19.95) work well for salsa, olives or condiments; and the 17-inch platter ($102) is perfect for fish, sandwiches or desserts. Available at Two Plates Full, 6166 N. Scottsdale Road, Ste. 402 (The Borgata of Scottsdale), twoplatesfull.com.