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With outdoor kitchens being the latest must-have for homeowners, design expert Deborah Krasner advises retailers on how to get started in this lucrative niche market.
By Sharon Sanders
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Photos from The New Outdoor Kitchen, published by the Taunton Press, 2007.
Author: Deborah Krasner. Photographer: Eric Roth. |
Outdoor kitchens have come a long way from the rickety charcoal grills and redwood picnic tables of decades past. Sophisticated designs and high-end equipment are giving homeowners a whole new way to prepare food outdoors, while enjoying time socializing with family and friends. Design expert Deborah Krasner has made functional, beautiful outdoor-kitchen design doable for the average homeowner in her recent how-to book, “The New Outdoor Kitchen” (Taunton Press, 2007) .
An award-winning author of six books on design and cooking, Krasner started her kitchen-design consulting business, Kitchens for Cooks, over a decade ago, creating indoor kitchens for chefs and serious gourmets. She made the transition outdoors just a few years ago, and her ideas and insights are already changing the face of outdoor kitchens. Krasner was a speaker at this year’s HPBExpo, and she has been a guest on numerous radio and television shows across the country, sharing her expert advice on putting together the ultimate outdoor kitchen.
Today’s outdoor kitchens
From the chilly backyard decks of Vermont to the balmy Italian-inspired patios of California, homeowners across the country are discovering the unrivaled pleasures of dining and relaxing outdoors with family and friends. Outdoor kitchens have become the social center of this emerging trend. “People want to enjoy an alfresco meal in the comfort of their own backyard, with all the indoor conveniences,” Krasner says.
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In her book, Krasner writes that an outdoor kitchen, at its most basic, is a place to cook and eat outdoors. It can, however, be so much more. It can be located on a screened-in porch or on a patio; it can be set in a courtyard, out in a garden or in any spot beyond the back door. An outdoor kitchen can be temporary (lit by torches, with food cooked on a portable grill and served on a wooden table brought from indoors) or it can be permanent (equipped with a built-in grill, a wood-fired oven, major appliances and sources of electricity and gas). The beauty of an outdoor kitchen is that no two are exactly alike. “They reflect one’s individual needs and style,” Krasner says. Some of her personal outdoor-kitchen favorites, according to her book, are large soapstone apron-front sinks, soapstone counters, high-quality outdoor speakers, stainless-steel cabinets and powder-coated cast-aluminum furniture. “To decide what works for you, look at your climate, how you cook and how you entertain,” she adds.
Climbing the ladder
Despite the growing popularity of outdoor entertaining, there is still a large portion of the population that does not understand (or has not even heard about) the notion of an outdoor kitchen. Krasner explains that most homeowners do not start out with visions of an outdoor kitchen with high-end appliances and natural stone countertops; they take ascending steps, like climbing a ladder. “People typically start their climb with a store-bought grill on their patio,” Krasner says. For many people, the next step is to upgrade to a professional stainless-steel grill with a high Btu output and all the extras. “What initiates the jump to the next level is the addition of a built-in pizza oven or a fireplace,” Krasner says. Once someone has committed to a permanent masonry element, he or she is on the way to creating a full-blown outdoor kitchen. Retailers who are willing to take the time to educate and work with their customers can reap the benefits. Krasner offers a few words of advice to retailers hoping to begin selling outdoor kitchens.
First, educate yourself. If you are going to tap into this market, you need to know the basics of good outdoor-kitchen design so that you can carry the right products. Krasner recommends picking up a copy of “The New Outdoor Kitchen” because it is a step-by-step guide to building an outdoor kitchen from the ground up, as well as a source for some of the best designers and kitchen-product manufacturers. She also encourages retailers to talk to people locally who have outdoor kitchens or who have built them, and to learn from their mistakes and successes.
Second, assemble a dream team. Set yourself apart from the big-box stores by developing a team of trusted professionals who specialize in building outdoor kitchens. Find out who the most trusted people in your area are (the best contractors, masons, landscape designers and outdoor-lighting specialists) and create a dream team of individuals who can provide valuable advice and service to your customers. Put together a picture book of the kitchens that they have built to show customers what is possible.
Third, build an outdoor kitchen. Turn an outdoor deck or the parking lot of your store into a showplace for outdoor entertaining. “You need to build a kitchen, use it and learn from it,” Krasner says. “It’s the only way you’ll know what works and what doesn’t.” She encourages retailers to put on their Hawaiian shirts, turn up the music and use their kitchens for promotions, charity events and weekend customer cookouts. Customers should always be able to smell the scent of cooking food coming from your kitchen, she adds, because this is your best sales tool; customers can see the kitchen products in action.
Fourth, carry a range of products. An outdoor kitchen is truly a reflection of one’s entertaining style. To meet the needs of all of their customers, Krasner recommends that retailers provide them with a range of choices. Offer more than the latest high-end grills and appliances. Carry portable equipment and small electrical appliances (such as blenders) that can be used in an outdoor kitchen, as well as outdoor serving pieces, tabletop goods and kitchen-design books. Make your store the one-stop shop for everything that customers will need to create their ultimate kitchens.
As for the future of outdoor kitchens, Krasner has no doubt that they will become woven into the fabric of outdoor entertaining. They are going to continue to get bigger and more sophisticated, as well. “As people learn what’s possible with outdoor kitchens, they will begin to dream for themselves,” Krasner says. “Retailers committed to the art of outdoor kitchens can help customers turn their dreams into reality.”
PHPR May/June 2007
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