KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
28th January 2021

We strongly recommend viewing KBzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.

The Global Kitchen Cafe: a perfect place to pause and ponder

The Global Kitchen Cafe was a hub of activity. Featuring a fabulous Rot Punkt kitchen and V-ZUG appliances, the area featured demonstrations and cooking challenges as well as food from across the globe.

The area was designed to promote global kitchen design whilst also demonstrating to retailers that offering experiential activities within their showrooms can create a more interactive and welcoming experience. (Ed: Well it worked for me. I could have stayed there all day...)

Nick Crosley, V-ZUG UK development chef (pictured left), hosted demonstrations throughout the show. After running a number of restaurants, he now works as part of the V-ZUG Gourmet Academy team, with special responsibility for recipe development.

With a focus on Sous Vide and low temperature cookery, there were discussions on the benefit of live cookery demonstrations in kitchen studios. Meals were timed to the time of day they were served... with an added global touch!

Nick cooked:

* Perfect Baking (Parmesan & Sundried Tomato Tear and Share)
* Sous Vide (Beef Steaks, Vegetables, Potatoes)
* Something Sweet (Pineapple in Rum Syrup/Mini Pear Galettes)

Award winning chef Theo Randall (pictured right), whose career has included some of London's most prestigious locations including The River Cafe and who currently has his own restaurant at the Intercontinental Park Lane, has a reputation for rustling up some of London's best Italian cuisine and he didn't disappoint at the show.

On Sunday, he hosted a cooking demonstration in the Global Kitchen, cooking Guineafowl with a pasta accompaniment followed by his signature chocolate cake dessert.

The 5 out of 5 AA Rosette and Michelin award winning chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli, (pictured left) also attracted visitors to the Global kitchen. He teamed with Chiltern Marble for a World Cup country cook off, cooking on stone that had been ethically-sourced from Italy and around the world.

As well as demonstrating his flair and creativity in the kitchen on the Chiltern Marble stand on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, he took over the Global Kitchen on Monday and delighted the crowds with blue cheese stuffed portobello mushrooms in a cream sauce together with a melange of vegetables with sesame seeds and herbs.

kbb Birmingham has a knack of giving us all the 'I wants' but when you see some of the best chefs the world has to offer, using the equipment with such ease, it makes the desire to rip out the old kitchen and install something new, even harder to bear...

7th March 2014