Cooking is at the heart of what we do at Thermador. So it only seemed fitting that Thermador’s presence at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, Fla., was in support of the American Gas Association (AGA). Thousands of homebuilders, suppliers and dealers descended upon the event Feb. 8-11, which featured more than 800 exhibiting companies.

We placed a number of our gas cooktops, rangetops and ranges on display there to help tout the benefits of using natural gas in the home. (There’s no better place to do so than in the kitchen, by the way…) But what really got everyone’s attention in our corner of the AGA booth — smack dab in the middle of the giant convention center floor — was our new flagship appliance, the 48-inch Pro Grand Steam Range.

Dubbed The Ultimate Culinary Center, our newly debuted range features seven different cooking options and is the first professional range to integrate a steam and convection oven. While several ranges of this size had included a smaller auxiliary oven, Thermador created the extra steam and convection combo option to complement a 30-inch convection oven. Needless to say, it garnered plenty of attention from IBS’s predominantly trade audience.

Thermador's flagship appliance, the 48-inch Pro Grand Steam Oven

Those who walked by couldn’t help but stop and gaze at the Pro Grand Steam, sometimes initially dismissing the extra cavity as a regular convection oven. Thermador reps were on hand, however, to watch the jaws drop as they explained the appliance’s full capabilities, as well as how steam cooking is on the rise (pardon the pun) as a healthy and flavorful cooking option. The warming drawer directly below our steam oven earned high marks, as well.

The options Thermador’s Pro Grand Steam Range offers show homebuilders new ways to design and build their products. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and a culinary center like Pro Grand Steam is the culinary enthusiast dream, fitting any custom, luxury kitchen. And it’s something of a game-changer that homebuilders spec for their next culinary-focused buyer.

When someone building their dream home — and dream kitchen — puts the entire project on hold until Pro Grand Steam is on the market, you begin to realize why homebuilders are now, more than ever, making the kitchen a top priority. That’s exactly the kind of feedback we’re getting from culinary enthusiasts once they’ve experienced our Pro Grand Steam Range.

It’s that kind of feedback that enables homebuilders to create the homes, and kitchens, of the future.

Thermador's gas cooktops, rangetops and ranges were on full display at IBS 2012.