field trip friday

I had the greatest rainy day in New York City!

Have you heard of House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year?  Each year, a designer is chosen to create the ultimate kitchen in Rockefeller Center and the public is welcome to visit.   It is such a fun event.  It runs for five days and there are associated activities throughout the week.  This year,  I attended on the last day because I planned to be in the city on that particular day anyway.

The 1,000 square foot, 2012 kitchen was designed by Mick De Giulio.  My three favorite things in the kitchen did not even relate directly to cooking!  Not the stove, oven, or any of the appliances…my favorites were:

1.  The butler’s pantry.  WOW.  I have always dreamed of having one of these.  Every show house I go to seems to have one and I WANT ONE.  Too beautiful considering it is not a room your company would ever see!  The best part about the 100 square foot space was the cove ceiling with venetian finished gilded iron lights.

2.   Another thing I loved was the fireplace in the kitchen.  Could you imagine making s’mores in your kitchen?  Great item.  I am also a huge fan of white,  so I loved the white seating and table in front of it.  I guess it may not be real practical for some families…but,  who is talking about practical?

Photo of the fireplace in the 2012 Kitchen of the Year.

3.  Probably my very favorite thing in the entire kitchen wasn’t even a permanent part of the display…I am talking about Executive Chef Michael Ferraro from Delicatessen.

Photo of Executive Chef Michael Ferraro from Delicatessen

He was giving a presentation on preparing a pan roasted herbed chicken with shaved brussel sprouts.   A very informative presentation and a super guy.  I was so glad I got the chance to meet him.  I was just disappointed I could not fit in a visit to his restaurant this trip – a rainy day would have been a great time to have some great comfort food…next time.

Can’t go wrong with truffle oil! Photo of Chef Ferraro from Delicatessen giving a demonstration at the 2012 Kitchen of the Year.

A photo of Chef Ferraro during a demonstration at the 2012 House Beautiful Kitchen of the year – inserting herbed butter under the skin of a chicken to be pan roasted

A photo of the pan roasted herbed chicken and shaved brussel sprouts prepared by Chef Ferraro at the 2012 House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year. I got to taste!

If you want to see more photos of the 2012 Kitchen of the Year, you can check out the House Beautiful website  www.housebeautiful.com/koty     To see more about Chef Ferraro and Delicatessen http://delicatessennyc.com/

Any other day, visiting the Kitchen of the Year would have been the highlight of my day – not this day…I had the chance to spend time with my great friend  Lisa, and also had the opportunity to watch her lovely and talented daughter perform in the Rockettes Showcase!  Bravo Regan!  :)

Thanks for visiting!  Enjoy your weekend, Jackie