DESIGN VISION And what about Dad’s new-found culinary passion to test out a smoked rack of lamb recipe he saw on Food Network while babysitting the kids and trying to work from home? Or mom’s new dream to become Martha Stewart and create a farm-to-table scenario where she never had to go to the store and everything her family ate came fresh from her garden? With restaurants only able to operate as take-out spots for several months, many found themselves pushed outside their normal comfort zones, seeking out new recipes, and creating culinary adventures at home rather than experiencing them at local restaurants. Creativity has reached an all-time high, as Travis Rotelli, West Coast Regional Sales Director at Kalamazoo Gourmet Grills, explains. “At Kalamazoo, we love to experiment and cook. Our website has hundreds of recipes that we have created on our own equipment. Since COVID-19, we’ve received dozens of calls from clients not just about barbecue appliances but about cooking tips. We are here and happy to walk someone through the process of cooking on their equipment,” he says. Kalamazoo’s expansive and beautiful “Food + Fire” cookbook features dozens of recipes with high-resolution images and stepby-step cooking instructions. And the equipment requested has expanded way beyond the traditional grill, side burner, and refrigerator. Rotelli says that the requests for outdoor design have become far more creative and expansive. “The requests and level of engagement is way up. We are seeing a request for more things to cook, even requests for smokers. They want to try and experiment with things that can take 6-16 hours. There’s a lot more exploratory cooking.” As people spend more hours at home, the necessity to throw a burger on the grill and be done in 20 minutes is no longer crucial. Now, ribs that take several hours to smoke are a reality and the budding epicurean can develop his or her desire to create the perfect home-cooked meal. Bridget Skinner, an Orange County landscape designer, says that people are enjoying the time they are spending at home. Now, more than ever, they want appliances that allow them to cook any style, on any day, and at any culinary level. My clients are saying, “I wish we had done this so we could be enjoying it now,” Skinner says. “And if COVID ended tomorrow, they still want to ramp it up, they still want to enjoy it right now.” Skinner says that gardens are definitely on the uprise. “Families have time to be at home, they have more time to dedicate, and they want to stay out of the stores as much as possible.” Beyond that, the safety factor alone has driven the desire to build chicken coops and create herb, fruit, and vegetable gardens. The control factor, the ability to know where our food comes from and what it was cooked on, is a strong element as a result of stay-at-home orders.
This outdoor kitchen features Kalamazoo Gourmet Grills and Fire Magic products.
Adding to this is the fact that college students are home, high schoolers are choosing between home school or a hybrid schedule, and families spend more time together. Thus the immediate need for parents to create an environment that is safe, comfortable and fun is first on everyone’s priority list. Anne Michaelsen of Anne Michaelsen Design, a 30-year expert who graduated from the school of Interior and Environmental Design at UCLA, says the outdoor space has evolved such that everyone needs their own area to do their work and have their space. The designer’s son and fiancé came home to wait out the pandemic, and have yet to leave. “We have slowed down. It’s been easier to have everyone here more than I expected, but it’s required additional seating and increased outdoor spaces for everyone to enjoy. We’re using the outside as office areas, which requires space and privacy so each one of us can talk to clients and do our Zoom calls.” Michaelsen also believes that the outdoor kitchen is a crucial factor in the pleasure a home can bring. Currently designing her own outdoor kitchen with every bell and whistle she can think of, Michaelsen believes that families and friends will find comfort in cooking at home and developing their culinary passions with a variety of appliances. Who says you can’t have Italian on Monday with a pizza oven, Chinese Stir Fry on Wednesday with the Alfresco Versa-Power burner, and Santa Maria-Style Rubbed Chicken on the Gaucho Grill on Friday? Michaelsen, a longtime proponent of the pizza oven, encouraged a client 30 years ago to install one. “I’d heard of this thing called a pizza oven. My client didn’t even make pizzas but I somehow talked him into it.” Michaelsen’s intuition proved correct and her client not only continues to use his pizza oven but BlueDoorMagazine.com
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