Chefs Choose Cosentino
Tags: Dekton | 5 years ago | Written by: Cosentino
Dekton in the professional kitchen
Cosentino’s ultra compact Dekton surface is rapidly becoming the most sought after material for professional chefs and the commercial kitchen world, due to its tactile and innovative nature. Available in a range of colours, thicknesses and textures, Dekton offers a high quality alternative to the traditional stainless steel used in most professional kitchen designs. It provides greater advantages to chefs such as a high resistance to heat and scratches, as well as being easy to clean. Versatile, it can be used for all areas of the kitchen such as the pass, worktop, preparation areas and flooring.
The Woodspeen Restaurant and Cookery School – West Berkshire, UK
Dekton in the colours Trilium and Danae were chosen by renowned chef, John Campbell for his award winning cookery school and restaurant, The Woodspeen. Looking to steer away from the austere nature of stainless steel, the ultra compact surface offered both a beautiful and practical design solution for the open pass. John explains, “Pans, plates and extremely hot utensils are used on the pass each and every day so it’s important that the surface is able to cope with the heat, which Dekton does brilliantly.”
Pleased with the hard wearing Dekton on the pass, Campbell chose to specify it once again when embarking on the design of The Woodspeen Cookery School. Located a stone’s throw away from the main restaurant, the Cookery School is open to both professional chefs and enthusiastic home cooks. Campbell wanted the new professional kitchen design to bridge the gap between a commercial and domestic kitchen, ensuring students felt comfortable in the space. John was impressed with the surfaces durability. “The top in the restaurant is over three and half years old, but still looks just as good as when it was put in. Hence why Dekton was the obvious choice in the Cookery School. It looks good, it feels good, but importantly it gives us all the benefits required.”
Selected for two worktops in the cookery school, Dekton Danae creates a feeling of spaciousness. The remaining worktops and splashbacks, were specified in the award-winning Dekton Trilium. «Trilium, wow, amazing. The whole restaurant and the cookery school is all about is natural woods, coppers, bronzes and brick. This design really complements the dark colours and metallic elements. For me, the Dekton tops really create the visual wow factor in this kitchen.”
The Devil’s Menu Boutique Cookery School – Kilkenny, Ireland
John Whelan of The Devil’s Menu Boutique Cookery School in Kilkenny, Ireland chose Dekton for his professional kitchen design. Located in chef John’s own home, the cookery school kitchen hosts cookery courses, along with chef’s table evenings.
In order to cope with a busy service, it was key that the kitchen’s high performance Siemens appliances were matched with a quality worktop. Installed directly in the centre of the room, a large, Dekton clad island enables customers to get involved during cookery sessions. Therefore, the worktop needed to be suitable for both food preparation and dining. Dekton ticks both those boxes. John says, “The island is the most important design feature of the kitchen. I was going to go with the traditional stainless steel look that most professional kitchens tend to use but when I was introduced to Dekton and all its advantages, I had to have it”.
Tasked with doubling as a pass as well as a seating area, the Dekton worktop proved to be the ideal choice thanks the surface’s durable qualities. Hot pans can be placed directly onto it without risk of discolouration or damage, which was a crucial factor for John. “It’s so surprisingly tactile, my guests often comment on the island. They are astounded when I place hot pans or serve food directly on the worktop. It’s also easy to clean. It’s unlike any other surface I’ve worked with before”.
The French Laundry – California, United States
Owing to the numerous unique benefits for commercial applications, Dekton was also chosen by acclaimed chef Thomas Keller for the renovation of his California based brasserie, The French Laundry. Inspired by the Louvre, the renovation contrasts the original French Laundry building against the new contemporary structure.
For the vast kitchen at The French Laundry, the luminous Dekton matte white Zenith was chosen in a 2cm thickness for the work stations. A 0.8mm thickness was selected for the cladding, which covers 4000 sqft of wall space. Due to its immense resistance to scratches, stains and heat, the revolutionary ultra compact surface is the ideal choice for professional kitchens. In particular it was the convenience of the surface’s high heat resistance that attracted chef Keller to it. What’s more, its large format slabs allowed for a sleek look with less joins. Its impressive colour stability ensures the beauty will remain the same, even after years of service.
