Whether you’re hosting a clambake on Nantucket, enjoying a procession of edible jewels at a Tokyo sushi bar or simply shopping for a suburban supper, the days of consuming seafood with careless abandon are gone. The oceans are desperately overfished, and seafood lovers must be conscious of their own personal impact on the aquatic environment.

The best known resource for both suppliers and consumers is Seafood Watch, a program created by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Northern California 20 years ago. Its regional consumer guides, identifying the most sustainable and most threatened species, are valued by consumers, chefs and eco-conscious corporations. “We use a rigorous, scientifically-based standard to come up with recommendations, result-ing in the most up-to-date, credible information,” states Maddie Southard, content manager for Seafood Watch.

So influential are these guides—60 million have been distributed to date—that when a particular item moves from the red (“Avoid”) category to yellow (“Good Alternatives”) or green (“Best Choices”), millions of dollars can change hands. Reflecting the thoroughness of Seafood Watch’s recommendations, flounder appears four times as a “Best Choice,” 14 times as a “Good Alternative” and 18 times in the “Avoid” column depending on the exact species, geographic origin and methods of fishing or farming employed.

“Consumers help drive change, and when businesses recognize what’s import-ant to consumers they respond,” reports Southard of Seafood Watch’s ability to engage corporations like Whole Foods and Blue Apron. The program’s restaurant partners transcend economic strata, from trendy Farallon in San Francisco to family-friendly Red Lobster restaurants across the country.

In its early days, businesses viewed Seafood Watch as a fringe movement but today participation is embraced and display of the organization’s yellowfin tuna logo can be a marketing asset. A Blue Ribbon Task Force, comprised of honored culinary authorities, enhances Seafood Watch’s relevance with diners. “The public admires chefs and culinarians, and we realized the impact they have on consumers,” offers Southard, who adds, “Chefs were some of the earliest supporters of the movement so this was a natural partnership.”

“Whenever I’m making decisions about what to put on a menu, I always ask myself, ‘What would Sheila do,’” says Los Angeles chef Michael Cimarusti, referring to Seafood Watch’s Sheila Bowman, who oversees outreach to chefs. Cimarusti, who has earned two Michelin stars at his flag-ship restaurant Providence, became conscious of sustainable sourcing issues as a young chef in L.A. 20 years ago, when a Gourmet magazine review admonished him for serving bluefin tuna.

Michael Cimarusti. ©Jennkl Photography.

Hugh Acheson, author and James Beard Award-winning chef with a family of Georgia restaurants, also sits on Seafood Watch’s advisory board and is a strong advocate for local, sustainable ingredients. He recalls that in the 1990s chefs addressed a severe threat to swordfish through a voluntary ban and use of more sustainable alternatives, allowing stocks to replenish. “It made me realize how much clout we have, as chefs, to mandate change when we act as a plurality,” states Acheson.

“I think Seafood Watch has succeeded in being a valuable resource for consumers, chefs, wholesalers, and grocery stores,” says the Canadian-born chef who has helped reimagine Southern cuisine. Acheson, who notes that swordfish continues to face challenges, suggests Seafood Watch would have been an invaluable resource decades ago, when many chefs were oblivious to sustainability issues.

An affinity for bluefin tuna (maguro) and eel (unagi), both largely on Seafood Watch’s “Avoid” list, and adherence to centuries-old traditions makes sushi chefs among the most reluctant to adopt sustainable practices. One sushi chef committed to sustainability is Bun Lai, chef/owner of Miya’s Sushi in New Haven, Connecticut and another member of Seafood Watch’s Blue Ribbon Task Force. Some odd ingredients—every-thing from insects and invasive species to edible weeds—populate his voluminous menu, and the James Beard Award nominee relies on guidance from Seafood Watch.

Hugh Acheson. Photo by Emily B. Hall. 

“Miya’s started working on sustainable seafood very gradually in the early 2000s,” reports Lai, explaining that unreliable data made conscientious sourcing challenging. “Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch changed all of that by creating a tool that helped people choose sustainable seafood in a market awash with imported seafood of mostly dubious origin and quality,” says Lai. “When I first discovered Seafood Watch, it was as if a light beamed into the darkness I was surrounded by,” he says.

“I admire my heritage, but we must question our traditions, too,” states Lai, acknowledging sushi’s popularity contributes to overfishing around the globe. He cites Jiro Ono, the revered sushi master featured in the documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, who lamented the demise of the majestic bluefin while continuing to serve it to customers.

“There are, however, sushi chefs filled with a passion for sustainable seafood like those café owners who pioneered fair trade coffee decades ago,” says Lai with optimism. With Seafood Watch’s guides and app available to chefs and consumers alike, good choices can be made on both sides of the bar.

Sustainable Sources

Hugh Acheson
www.hughacheson.com

Le Bernardin
www.le-bernardin.com

Miya’s Sushi
www.miyassushi.com

Providence
www.providencela.com

Seafood Watch
www.seafoodwatch.org

Restaurant Nolla prides itself on using fresh and well-kept ingredients. 

Each dish created is carefully crafted to maximize every piece of each ingredient. Parts of an item that can’t be utilized are composted. Restaurant guests witness this process as the composter is located in the main dining area, showcasing what the restaurant is all about. Although utilized, the composter is not used as a garbage can. Before each item is tossed away, it is weighed and analyzed using a waste management software. Data is collected, what was thrown out, who threw it away and why, and is used to help improve the restaurants practices. 

“Nolla is a restaurant without a trash bin. You cannot find any single use plastic here — no plastic packaging, no cling film, no vacuum bags, no foil,” says Sunyar, head chef of Restaurant Nolla, “Every detail from staff clothing and napkins to tableware has been thought of. Even the gift cards are made of compostable paper that has poppy seeds in them.”  

Food is handled in a special way to ensure that Restaurant Nolla remains a waste-free establishment. From the way the food is delivered right down to how it’s stored, no part of the process was disregarded. 

“We have created a box system for vegetables, fish and meat with local producers,” says Sunyar. “The boxes travel back and forth to prevent any packaging waste. We are very strict with this rule. If something comes in a non-reusable packaging, it is sent back to the supplier. No exceptions. This is the only way to make sure that people understand our beliefs and respect our practices.”

Food is fermented, pickled and dried to ensure ingredients are stored properly. The restaurant works with local producers who help them determine the best ingredients to use, based on what is growing during peak season. 

“We use local and organic products,” says Sunyar. “The ingredients and their natural characteristics are the backbone of our tasting menus, and therefore, it is imperative that the quality of the produce is very high. These products tend to be more expensive in general, however, by using seasonal products and utilizing every part of them, our way of operating is very much cost effective.” 

The chefs set out to show people that what they have accomplished is profitable and manageable. According to Sunyar, it’s not an easy process and creating the menu does take some time, but in the end he and the team stand by what they do, and they execute delicious and visibly beautiful dishes. 

“It is a common misconception that waste-free practices mean cooking from products that expire soon or that making sustainable choices means that the quality deteriorates,” says Sunyar. “We do not cook from waste nor do we produce waste. We want to show that creative and great food can go hand in hand with sustainability.” 

Tomatoes, raspberry and chili.

All photos and feature photo courtesy of Nikola Tomevski.

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Once relegated to unpretentious mom-and-pop eateries, the diverse cuisine of the Middle East has graduated to sophisticated, award-winning restaurants across America.

Every Middle Eastern culture has its own food (some countries even have distinct local cuisines), but culinary boundaries are much more amorphous than national borders. Despite a surprising degree of cultural diversity, the region’s indigenous products — chickpeas, dates, pomegranates, saffron, and olive oil, to name a few — result in some universal themes, even among adversaries.

Additionally, the use of spices like turmeric, cumin, garlic and sumac contribute to consistencies from Israel to Turkey, Lebanon to Iran. The cooking of all of those distant lands is drawing unprecedented interest among American diners, who are attracted by both its exotic qualities and relative healthfulness.

Food Photos by Kristin Teig Photography

Chef Michael Solomonov, a native Israeli who grew up in Pittsburgh, opened Zahav (“gold” in Hebrew) in Philadelphia a decade ago and has won multiple James Beard Awards for his modern Israeli cuisine. Hardly an elitist, the chef/owner is frequently found covered in flour, preparing his legendary laffa bread dough for the restaurant’s wood-burning oven. In his festive, high-ceilinged dining room, traditional lanterns hang over the bar and a photo mural of Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market sets the mood.

Author of Israeli Soul and Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking (for which he won a couple of those awards), Solomonov is pleased to introduce authentic Israeli cooking to American diners. “Zahav was our way of bringing Israeli hospitality and the soul of Israeli cooking and dining to the U.S.,” says the chef. Solomonov reports that originally the menu was very literal, concentrating on authentic Israeli dishes. “But now we’ve become more comfortable in this conduit role and the relationship that we have for being a culinary tour guide, implying Israeli food without having to copy-and-paste recipes we see over there.”

“We can’t simply call Israeli cooking ‘Middle Eastern,’” insists Solomonov, noting the diverse influences in the country, including about 100 cultures represented by Israeli residents. “We have this convergence of European, Middle Eastern and North African cuisines all happening symbiotically — that’s what makes our food Israeli,” he says.

Photo by Kristin Teig Photography

Hummus with various toppings arrives with Solomonov’s signature laffa, while other mezze include veal carpaccio with coffee-brined egg and preserved lemon, and grilled duck hearts with green garbanzos. Grilled over coals are merguez sausages, harissa-spiked hanger steak or branzino, all elevated versions of traditional dishes from Israel.

The acclaimed chef points to diversity as one of the factors contributing to the current popularity of the region’s cooking, noting that its reliance on vegetables and traditional techniques (e.g. cooking over wood) also appeal to contemporary restaurant-goers. “Diners are always looking for something new, and since there’s so much history and soul in this cuisine, I think it relates to American cooking more than people realize,” says Solomonov.  

In the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles, where crumbling factories are being transformed into chic art galleries, boutiques and bistros, young chef Ori Menashe and wife Genevieve Gergis have become prominent restaurateurs. Their first establishment, Italian-inspired Bestia, gave the Arts District culinary cred back in 2012, and this year they followed it up with Bavel, a contemporary Middle Eastern eatery.

Menashe was born in L.A., but raised in Israel, and collectively the couple also has roots in Morocco, Turkey and Egypt, so their menu at Bavel is informed by the entire region. L.A., with its large Persian and Armenian populations, is a city already accustomed to Middle Eastern cuisine, but Bavel satisfies a pent-up demand for a more sophisticated, contemporary experience. Dishes such as velvety foie gras halva, lamb tartare and grilled dorade with red charmoula delight diners.

“We always wanted to open a restaurant that showcases cuisine from our family lineage with flavors and spices we grew up with,” explains Gergis, who also serves as Bavel’s pastry chef. The couple does not believe in being limited by expectations of authenticity and is more concerned about allowing high quality ingredients to take center stage. “Everyone is always searching for authenticity, but every day in this world people are creating beautiful new works of art and delicious things to eat while only being authentic to themselves,” explains Menashe.

At Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Oleana, a mile from the Harvard campus, chef/owner Ana Sortun creates a progressive menu inspired by the cuisine of Turkey, which she fell in love with as a young chef. “The food is so rich, but nothing is heavy,” says Sortun, explaining the sophisticated use of spices in Turkish cooking is distinct from any other cuisine.

“My mission was to expand people’s perception of the Mediterranean and bring Middle Eastern cuisine into the mainstream,” says the classically trained Sortun, whose heritage is actually Norwegian. She suggests that increased travel to the region, health-consciousness and advocacy from chefs like Zahav’s Michael Solomonov are contributing to unprecedented popularity of the region’s cooking.

Photo by Kristin Teig Photography.

Oleana Cambridge, Massachusetts

Sortun also co-owns a casual bakery and mezze bar in Cambridge called Sofra, and Sarma in nearby Somerville where former Oleana chef Cassie Piuma presents Middle Eastern exoticism disguised as familiar American comfort foods. “We wanted Sarma to be young and accessible, with small plates and a big bar,” says Sortun, who adds, “It’s more playful, less serious than Oleana.”

Snacks at Sarma include Turkish-spiced beef jerky, brisket shawarma served taco-style, pork belly biscuit sliders layered with jalapeño-whipped feta, and a Middle Eastern riff on the iconic Philly cheesesteak. “Cassie is using language to make the cuisine at Sarma more accessible,” says Sortun, noting that expressing familiar concepts builds trust with diners.

New Orleans hardly seems the place to find exceptional Middle Eastern cuisine, but Big Easy diners are happy to take a break from gumbo and étouffée for chef Alon Shaya’s contemporary Israeli cuisine. His restaurant, Saba (“grandfather” in Hebrew), features a homey dining room and a menu that layers modern concepts over ancient traditions from the Middle East.

Food Photos by Brian Samuels.

At Saba, Shaya offers a selection of hummus preparations incorporating everything from spicy Brussels sprouts to blue crab, while octopus is treated with shawarma spices and foie gras is complemented with date honey and Marcona almonds. Caviar may precede family-style harissa-roasted chicken or Moroccan-inspired lamb shank pastilla.

“We don’t try to invent anything,” says Shaya, who states the restaurant’s goal is to create food that evokes memories and emotions. Concurring with Philadelphia’s Solomonov, he reports, “Israeli cuisine is different because of the immigration that occurred over the last 70 years,” with cultural influences in Israel, including Russian, Yemenite, Greek, and Moroccan. “It’s how those cuisines intermingle that make it unique,” adds the Israeli-born chef/owner.

Shaya does not necessarily subscribe to the view that Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisines are suddenly trendy. “I think it’s just good, comforting and recognizable food,” he says, adding for emphasis, “I think it’s actually anti-trendy, and that’s why so many people like it.”

Sarma Somerville, Massachusetts www.sarmarestaurant.com

Sofia Bakery & Café Cambridge, Massachusetts www.sofiabakery.com

Zahav Philadelphia www.zahavrestaurant.com

The residents of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey are welcoming a new restaurant called Grain & Cane that has been inspired by traditional rice bags and offers a classic but enticing menu. 

The new addition to Berkeley Heights is owned by the Connell family — who at one point was the largest non-governmental rice and sugar distributor in the world. Grain & Cane is the place where you might choose a quiet corner for an intimate evening or a cozy lunch date. It’s also the restaurant that you and your family might want to visit for a special celebration. The atmosphere is a unique combination of comfortable and chic, which makes it suitable for more than one type of occasion. There’s a distinct classic feeling.

The floor-to-ceiling, weathered-looking graffiti draws the mind to traditional rice bags — the inspiration behind the restaurants’ decor. This style even includes using recycled rice bags as stool seat covers and of course some well-known brands and logos.Exposed brick walls and steel columns also draw on the family’s grain storage facilities. Tufted leather seating and custom banquettes are reminiscent of grandfather Grover Connell’s time in Paris, according to the Grain & Cane team. The main focus of the bar is the custom Solari board, which actually serves as the bar. It was once used for posting grain prices on the trading floor. Making this aspect even more special are the rotating specials and inspirational quotes from Connell, such as, “Cheer up, things could be worse. So he cheered up and things did get worse.” There’s also a two-story back bar for guests to enjoy.

The menu has a refreshing variety of choices — without overwhelming guests — and known favorites. Traditional headlines, such as Burgers and Pizza, are splashed across the menu and instantly draw you in. Modern touches and complex flavors mix with classic at Grain & Cane

White, sausage, and margarita seem like standard pizzas, but the sourdough crust is a charming twist. A burger may sound simple, but the falafel burger with hummus and avocado tzatziki and the Scottish salmon with chanterelle mushrooms, roasted potatoes, peas, and crispy prosciutto are just a hint of the surprises on the menu.

Don’t expect the menu to stay the same for too long though. The restaurant has a menu that changes with the seasons and focuses on fresh ingredients from local farms and is peppered with items inspired by the Connell family’s favorite dishes.

Making Grain & Cane truly stand out among tradition is their traveling food truck. According to the Grain & Cane team, the food truck allows the restaurant to park in different areas around town and reach a whole new set of customers and also introducing dishes to new communities.

Photos courtesy of Grain & Cane, by Oleg March 

High-end restaurants collaborate with residential buildings in major cities such as New York and Boston to create the ultimate experience for residents.

Photos courtesy of Noe & Associates with The Boundary

Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences and Zuma
Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences, One Dalton Street, Boston has announced its partnership with internationally acclaimed celebrity-studded restaurant group, Zuma, which will offer world-class cuisine to One Dalton residents, hotel guests and locals alike in early 2019. The Boston location marks the company’s first collaboration with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and its fourth location in the United States — part of a successful expansion into the American market.
The restaurant will showcase bold flavors and simple presentation combined with an environment of sophisticated and stellar service. Zuma will bring its signature culinary approach with a touch of local flavor to Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts’ upcoming Boston location, which will be located on the third floor of One Dalton and designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu of Tokyo-based Studio Glitt.
 

Photos courtesy of 30 Park Place

242 Broome and Make It Nice
242 Broome is the first condominium within Essex Crossing, a planned mixed-use development comprising residential, office, retail, cultural and community space on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The 14-story, 55-unit luxury building designed by SHoP Architects will also be the new home of the International Center of Photography, which will feature an event space run by Make It Nice — the hospitality group from Eleven Madison Park.
The co-owners of Make It Nice, Will Guidara and Daniel Humm, continue to transform the world of dining with their critically acclaimed restaurant Eleven Madison Park, which is currently rated the best restaurant in the world on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, possesses three Michelin stars and received a four star review from The New York Times in 2015. The pair’s Make It Nice hospitality group also oversees the food and beverage spaces at The NoMad hotels in New York and Los Angeles in addition to Made Nice in The NoMad where seasonal dishes are served in an elevated counter service environment.
Make It Nice’s collaboration with ICP marks its first off-site partnership. Guests attending events in the dramatic bi-level space on the top floors of ICP can expect the same outstanding hospitality and exquisite food intrinsic to these distinguished restaurants.
One Hundred East Fifty Third Street and Joël Robuchon
Soaring 63 stories with a collection of 94 contemporary homes, One Hundred East Fifty Third Street is a striking new modernist architectural landmark from Foster + Partners, which offers the highest level of lifestyle services and comfort. Residents at One Hundred East Fifty Third Street will enjoy the distinct privilege of sharing their address with a restaurant by Joël Robuchon, the world’s most decorated Michelin-starred chef. The tower is anchored by a soaring bi-level space designed by Joseph Dirand that will feature two highly anticipated dining concepts slated to open this year. Residents will receive preferred access to these restaurants as well as in-home dining options.
“We are thrilled to partner with Joël Robuchon and Aby Rosen on this exceptional project,” said Alex Gaudelet, CEO of Invest Hospitality. “The combination of the chef with the most Michelin Stars in the world and one of New York’s most audacious visionaries is going to make for an iconic venue.”
In addition, the building offers super luxe, spa-inspired amenities designed by AD-100 designer William T. Georgis. They include a 60-foot sunlit swimming pool, a cardio room, weight room, pilates/ballet room, yoga room, sauna, steam room, spa treatment rooms and his-and-her changing rooms and showers.

Residences at One Hundred East Fifty Third Street are a mix of tower-style units with skyline views and a specialized collection of loft residences on the bottom floors, which feature concrete walls and floors and are specifically designed to accommodate large art collections. Pricing for available units in the building begins at $2.3 million for a studio, and go up to $65 million for the 6,760-square-foot penthouse.  

Nunzio DeSantis, who designed more than 60,000 hotel rooms during his 34 years with global architecture firm HKS, opened a new hospitality architecture firm in Dallas with next generation architect and son Marc DeSantis.

Award-winning architect Nunzio DeSantis and his son Marc DeSantis have launched a specialized hospitality architecture firm, Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects. Located in Dallas’ ultra-chic Design District, NMDA brings architectural individuality to international resorts, hotels, spas and restaurants.
In only nine months since opening, NMDA has secured the work of nearly 30 different projects in some traditionally hard barriers-to-entry locations, such as Santa Fe, New Mexico, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Charleston, South Carolina. While many firms are constantly looking to increase breadth of projects, NMDA goes against the grain with its commitment to staying small and focusing solely on hospitality.

Photo courtesy of Liane Swanson

Pop-up restaurants, showrooms, television and design challenges: These age-old kitchen brands are cooking up ways to stay on the cutting edge.

By Samantha Myers

Photo courtesy Siematic, America’s Test Kitchen
In addition to their distinguished, luxury appliances and product collections, well-established kitchen brands such as Gaggenau, SieMatic and Thermador are finding creative ways to stay fresh and innovative across the contemporary landscape.

“Sometimes to move forward, it’s good to look back,” says Natascha Kruusi, head of marketing for the luxury lifestyle brand Gaggenau. “Three hundred and thirty three years marks more than just the beginning of Gaggenau; it epitomizes the journey into both the past and the future.” Looking back is exactly what the German-originated brand did with the creation of Restaurant 1683, a New York City-based, pop-up restaurant with a carefully crafted setting focused on evoking the company’s roots.

Headed by Three Michelin Star Chef Daniel Humm and Restaurateur Will Guidara of Eleven Madison Park, the short-lived, but impactful Restaurant 1683 transported guests to Germany’s Black Forest. Bringing together innovative technology, immersive décor and fine cuisine, Restaurant 1683 was an all-encompassing, multi-sensory epicurean experience. “The mood was mystical. With the re-creation of the Black Forest, the space became a surreal oasis from the bustle of the outside urban streets,” Kruusi says. “You could hear the forging of nails, the sound of the water from the waterfall, smell the scent of real trees and moss, and, of course, the aroma of the beautiful food.”

For four nights, the pop-up restaurant hosted 44 guests, beginning with a cocktail reception that moved into a lively dining area, all designed by architect Hendrik Muller, who has also created Gaggenau showrooms. With its latest products gracing the open kitchens set among a story-telling, engineered setting, Gaggenau married its history with its contemporary face.

“Gaggenau is a luxury brand like no other, thanks to its unique and long heritage,” Kruusi says. “Time only can build such savoir-faire, exposing the maturity of engineering and a vision that has evolved and revealed itself over centuries.” Restaurant 1683 is the first event of a three-year initiative to host surprise, invite-only events to occur over the country.

“By bringing together timeless design and craftsmanship with exclusive culinary culture, we have created the ultimate, luxurious brand experience,” Kruusi says.

Photos courtesy Gaggenau

Another famed German kitchen manufacturer, SieMatic, designs highly functional kitchen cabinets and storage solutions, and stays fresh through symbiotic partnerships. The company fosters visibility on multiple platforms; with representation at the popular showroom PIRCH SoHo, NYC as well as on the hit TV show America’s Test Kitchen.

“PIRCH is changing the face of retail, with a truly immersive experience with the industry’s leading luxury brands,” says Hans Henkes, president and CEO of SieMatic Möbelwerke USA. “SieMatic’s inclusion in the PIRCH flagship showroom gives our target buyer the opportunity to fully engage with our products and visualize them in their homes,” Henkes says.

The user-friendly showroom is an ideal spot for kitchen brands to offer customers an interactive approach to home shopping, and fits SieMatic’s shift from product releases to its kitchen style categories. Each style collection — Classic, Pure and Urban — is featured at the showroom. Additionally, SieMatic’s presence on America’s Test Kitchen, the highest-rated instructional cooking show on television, allows more than 2 million viewers each week to witness transitional SieMatic designs as a backdrop to chefs challenging classic recipes.

Photos courtesy Siematic, Pirch SOHO

To celebrate its 100th anniversary last year, iconic luxury American appliance brand Thermador implemented a countrywide Kitchen Design Challenge, looking for the most inspiring kitchens featuring its products.

“For a century, Thermador has been devoted to creating innovative appliances that provide ultimate performance for culinary enthusiasts — and we have been an integral part of how the design and function of the kitchen has evolved over the decades,” says Zack Elkin, director of brand management. “Our commitment to the Kitchen Design Challenge enables us to celebrate the talented designers who utilize Thermador to bring the heart of the home to life for their clients with unique, personalized details — and inspired us by breaking convention and re-thinking what is possible for the kitchen.”

While Thermador Kitchen Design Challenges have taken place in the past, the centennial contest was larger than ever, in order to honor the brand’s 100-year history of shaping the home kitchen. This history includes the invention of the first wall oven and cooktop in 1947 as well as the introduction of stainless steel into kitchen. While Thermador continues to produce innovative appliances, the company wants to praise those who incorporate their products through motivating design.

“These trade professionals are a big part of why Thermador is a leader in luxury kitchens, and their designs have inspired us to continually innovate and bring forth appliances that challenge the status quo,” says Beatriz Sandoval, director of brand marketing.

The design challenge encouraged Thermador integration from budding talent to seasoned designers. With over $110,000 in prizes, regional winners (who will be announced this summer) will be invited to an upcoming gala where they will be up for high-value national awards. The top award categories include Best Use of  Thermador Refrigeration, Contemporary/Modern design, Traditional/Transitional and Designer’s Choice.

Photos courtesy Thermador