Tobi Fairley is a Thermador brand partner.

I love summer, particularly the longer days and the warmer nights. It’s a perfect time of year for entertaining with friends and family, especially over the fabulous Fourth of July holiday!

I think the key to a fabulous party is being sure that everyone feels welcome – I love to show them the famous Southern hospitality. That means serving plenty of food and drink, being sure everyone is having fun, and keeping the conversation flowing no matter what.

If you love to entertain the way I do, you need a kitchen that functions for you and gives you the support you need to have a seamless and amazing event! Especially because everyone tends to gather in the kitchen – it’s really the heart of the home – and a perfectly functioning kitchen will help you keep your calm and enjoy the party.

There’s one thing that people don’t think of very often when it comes to entertaining, but is key to keeping everyone happy. Can you guess what it is? It’s ice! Whether you’re cooling drinks, filling ice buckets, or creating signature cocktails, having enough ice – and the right ice – is so important. That is why I am a big fan of the specially designed diamond ice maker, which is featured in all Thermador Freedom Collection freezer columns.

The shape of ice has everything to do with its intended purpose, and diamond ice has been designed to allow more ounces of ice in a traditional glass to keep drinks cooler – and the unique shape also looks dazzling in any glass and in any beverage!

Speaking of beverages, I love sharing a good bottle of wine with my friends, and the Thermador Wine Preservation Columns allow bottles to be stored at the ideal temperature, while also offering a beautiful way to display through the glass panel door.

Two independent wine zones are available to preserve whites and reds at their own appropriate temperatures, so every bottle poured at every party will taste its absolute best! The column also enables you to store multiple sized bottles, so there’s no worries if you receive a unique or oversized bottle as a hostess gift.

So, with the wine and drinks taken care of, another appliance I rely on to serve up the perfect at-home event is the refrigerator, and the Freedom Collection fresh food columns offer features that make storing food and little nibbles a breeze! Full-extension drawers give you convenient accessibility – you can place full platters of appetizers, salads, or marinating meat in the drawers without a worry. You also can prepare food ahead of time and know it will be properly preserved until it’s time to serve. It helps you keep your cool even in the middle of the biggest party!

From a smart design perspective, the drawers still are allowed full extension even when the door is only open to 90 degrees – that’s key when I’m designing a kitchen because it will give you full functionality of the drawer while still being sure that appliance will fit into the perfect layout.

At the end of a great event, I always make sure my kitchen is spotless before I go to bed. It’s no fun waking up to a dirty kitchen, but thanks to the Star-Sapphire Dishwasher, culinary enthusiasts like me have the ability to entertain and clean with fabulous flexibility and speed.  Its StarSpeed cycle is the industry’s fastest full-wash hot water cycle, clocking in at 20 minutes. This cycle preheats the water ahead of time, so that it can complete a load in record-setting time – making it ideal for entertaining or preparing multi-course menus when you will need to have clean dishes around-the-clock.

This dishwasher also features the industry’s largest wine glass capacity: 18 glasses. There is no way you can run out of glasses with that appliance helping you in the kitchen!

It is also so quiet that you often can’t tell if it is on, which is why it features a Time Remaining PowerBeam that shines the remaining cycle time on the floor. Now that’s a cool concept! For late-night clean-ups you can start the dishwasher, go to bed and sleep like a baby because your Thermador dishwasher is quiet as can be!

One great tip I offer to my clients who entertain regularly is that having two dishwashers will change their lives! They keep your kitchen clean at all times, and ensure that you’ll have plenty of glasses and flatware throughout a party. In my kitchen renovation that is happening this summer, I can assure you that two Star-Sapphire Dishwashers are making their way into the design and layout.

If you’re entertaining this summer, keep these Thermador appliances in mind to help you be the ultimate host or hostess!

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Here’s an easy entertaining recipe that I love in the summer! You can make these ahead of time and then store them in your refrigerator until guests arrive!

Tobi’s Watermelon Bites

2 cups watermelon, cut into cubes

1 lb. Feta cheese also cut into cubes

Balsamic vinegar

Fancy bamboo toothpicks or skewers

Assemble skewers or picks with one cube of watermelon on the bottom and a cube of Feta on top. Store on a platter in the fridge until guests arrive. Just before serving, drizzle with as much balsamic as you prefer. It’s that easy (and delicious)!

To see more of my culinary creations, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, or my blog!