I have an obsession with collecting beautifully made plates and glassware. Antiques, family heirlooms, reminders of trips overseas. I have a special section in my basement dedicated to crystal, hand-painted plates and silver wine goblets my grandfather got from a pharmaceutical salesman when it was still legal to spiff physicians with outlandish gifts.

I’ve tried to stop, but there is something about a unique piece of dinnerware I find hard to resist. I blame my mom. Growing up, she built beautiful tables for our family dinners, whether it’s for a special occasion or just because. In her mind, the dining experience begins with an artistically set table that holds ones gaze.

So when Food and Wine and Andrew Zimmermn tweeted about the food art project created to celebrate Food and Wine’s 35th anniversary as a gourmet magazine, I took notice. The Plate Project asked movers, shakers and thinkers in the food world to design a plate showing what people would be eating in 35 years. The designs are beautiful, shocking and thought provoking. Food art at its best. The only bummer? The designs are done on paper plates. Leaving people like me wishing they would have chosen to use a porcelain base so I could snatch up my favorites. Who knows? Maybe Food and Wine editors will read this and create a printed version of the top designs that people could purchase for charity. A collector can only dream.

Some of my favorite designs: