Over the last five years, Thermador has seen the desires of culinary enthusiasts evolve, and also new types of culinary enthusiasts and home entertainers emerge as they hone in on their preferred cooking and entertaining style. Gone are the days when a one-size-fits-all approach to creating a kitchen and entertaining space will suffice. The heart of the home, and the appliances that go in it, must be designed in a way that enables the entertainer to put on a dazzling and effortless hosting performance for any occasion, from small weeknight dinner gatherings to casual weekend brunches and extravagant holiday celebrations with a house full of guests.

With the rise in many different types of cooks and entertainers, Thermador has seen a swift increase in new and unique configurations of refrigerator-freezers. Highly customized Culinary Preservation Centers are emerging within the kitchen and throughout the home to provide a seamless entertaining experience, as well as to accommodate relaxation and leisure time of the host once the guests have departed, such as in the study or home library.

Throughout the coming months we will explore a variety of entertaining styles and suggestions on how to create a Culinary Preservation Center to accommodate each. This week, it is all about Weekend Entertainers and their preservation needs.

Weekend Entertainers enjoy bringing friends and family together at the end of a busy week for delicious food, refreshing drinks and good company – whether for a formal sit-down dinner, a casual outdoor afternoon brunch or a night of cocktails and conversation. This type of host dedicates time at the end of each week to select the freshest seasonal ingredients that will serve as inspiration for a delectable menu, and the finest wines and cocktails to pair. Their menus are executed flawlessly and great time and dedication goes into crafting each course of the meal.

In order to accommodate gatherings of any size for any occasion, and ensure hand-selected ingredients are incredibly flavorful and fresh when  it is time to begin the meal preparation, ample refrigeration in the kitchen is essential for preserving produce, fresh seafood,  meat and other ingredients. Because the meals are prepared with locally-sourced ingredients, and quite often any leftovers are sent home with guests, there is less need for a large freezer to store pre-made or leftover dishes. Rather, a smaller freezer space is needed to preserve items such as frozen desserts (such as homemade sorbet) or ice to chill cocktails. Additionally, a wine refrigerator is also necessary to ensure that guests visiting for the weekend, or stopping by for an afternoon, will always have a perfectly chilled vintage available.

An ideal Culinary Preservation Center for a Weekend Entertainer may have a 30” Thermador refrigerator column alongside a 30” bottom-freezer refrigerator and an 18” wine column – all located within the kitchen. This configuration and location ensures the host can easily store and access cooking ingredients, ice, wine and any chilled treats to serve guests— no matter the type or size of the gathering, or the location of the event within the home. The kitchen is the hub from which any gathering will become a spectacular occasion that is discussed throughout the week until it is time to gather again.