Attendees couldn’t resist stopping by the booth to check out the displays and participate in activities.  In the innovation zone we featured our latest products, the CoreGuard™ Sink Base, a smart solution that helps keep the cabinetry under your sink dry and clean.  We also gave a sneak peak of two products that will be available soon: CornerStore™, a solution to bring more storage and easy accessibility to the challenging corner cabinet area, and the CoreGuard™ Vanity, like the kitchen sink base, but special for the bathroom.

Special guests drew a crowd!

Our favorite Australian chef, Curtis Stone, was in the booth cooking up an all-time favorite, spaghetti and meatballs, and his delicious vanilla pana cotta.  Not to mention, some lucky audience members were able to sample his champagne cocktail with poached strawberries. Curtis also shared his favorite Merillat cabinetry features, while demonstrating how easy it is to cook in a Merillat kitchen. Visitors were also able to get autographs and pictures.

In addition, home improvement celebrities Eric Stromer from HGTV’s Over Your Head and Cindy Dole, host of CBS radio show “Home Wizards”, were in the booth discussing Merillat’s product innovations  and one of the most important design realities today – Universal Design. Cindy and Eric explained that since more and more families are living together in multigenerational households, it is important when building a new home or remodeling that the kitchen should accommodate different ages and abilities. Merillat kitchens at the show included many examples of how products and design come together to meet these needs.

Knowledge Leadership

Before KBIS, Merillat was part of a Masco Cabinetry study to gain insight into kitchen design as it relates to current generational needs. And Merillat, along with the other Masco Cabinetry brands, was excited to release the latest findings from the study, GenShift 2011: Lifestages Redefining the Kitchen.  The study illustrates how recent social, economic and generational influences impact kitchen design. The study was well received and attracted a lot of attention as homeowners, dealers, builders and designers are all noticing shifts in kitchen living and use.  For more information or to download a copy of the complete study, visit GenShiftKitchen.com.

Curtis Stone cooking demo at Merillat's 2010 KBIS booth

For the first time ever, Merillat invited a celebrity chef to KBIS!  On Friday, April 16, renowned chef Curtis Stone put the on-site Merillat kitchen to work with some cooking demonstrations and autograph sessions.  This lively event put the “fun” in function by demonstrating a number of organizational features of Merillat cabinetry, not to mention three of Curtis’ mouth watering recipes.

For those who are unfamiliar, Curtis is a wildly popular Australian chef who has become a bit of a phenomenon here in the U.S. with his reality cooking show, Take Home Chef, and appearances on shows like NBC’s Today Show, The Biggest Loser, The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Celebrity Apprentice.  You can learn more about Curtis at CurtisStone.com.

His appearance at KBIS was Curtis’ first introduction as Merillat’s new spokesperson, and marked the beginning of a new advertising and public relations campaign coming this summer that recognizes life happens in the kitchen.

So, who better than a professional chef to illustrate the importance of a well organized kitchen by putting Merillat’s KBIS kitchen to the test?  Equipped with some of our coolest cabinet accessories and technologies, and the new prototype CornerStore™ cabinet, Curtis testified that the conveniences and smooth work flow found in a Merillat kitchen make a big difference in creating a great environment for cooking and entertaining.

According to Curtis, after visiting hundreds of real kitchens while filming Take Home Chef, “Domestic kitchens aren’t always so practical. It makes cooking a hassle. What (Merillat does) is produce beautiful kitchens, as you can see. To me, kitchens should be the sexiest room in the house. And not only do (Merillat kitchens) look amazing, but they’re super practical. From a chef’s perspective, and from a home cook’s perspective, when you’re working in a kitchen that makes sense, it makes the whole cooking experience much easier.”

Curtis, of course, makes cooking look effortless.  Several lucky audience members got to get their hands dirty in the Merillat kitchen, helping Curtis whip up steamed mussels with chorizo (see below for the recipe!), a pesto linguine with shrimp, and – best of all – several variations on a divine chocolate sauce.

If you didn’t get to attend KBIS and would like to see Curtis in action, we’ll be posting videos of these demonstrations in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Steamed Mussels with Chorizo and White Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound / 500 grams  Spanish chorizo, cut into bite-size pieces
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 pounds / 2 kg mussels, bearded and scrubbed
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro / coriander , plus more for garnish
6 tablespoons / 80 grams butter, chopped
1 baguette, torn into large pieces

Method

1. Sauté the chorizo for about 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
2. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
3. Add the mussels and toss quickly to coat.
4. Add the wine.
5. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until the mussels begin to open.
6. Discard any mussels that do not open.
7. Add 3 tablespoons of cilantro and toss to combine.
8. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels and sausages to a warm large serving bowl.
9. Cover to keep warm.
10. Boil the juices remaining in the pan for 1 minute.
11. Whisk in the butter.
12. Pour the sauce over the mussels, sprinkle with the additional cilantro and serve immediately with the baguette pieces.

Check out other recipes by Curtis on his website: http://www.curtisstone.com/Recipes.aspx.

Merillat Classic Avenue in Maple Chiffon

Attendees of the K∙BIS Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago April 16-18 aren’t going to want to miss the new innovations, functionality and exciting new looks we have on display. Here are just some of the Merillat product introductions and events taking place at K∙BIS:

Cooking Demonstration with Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone
Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone is cooking LIVE today, April 16, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. in Merillat’s booth #S1217. Curtis will put our kitchen to the test, demonstrating how important a well-designed, functional space really is. In between demos, he’ll be signing autographs and taking photos, so be sure to stop by if you’re at the show!

Over 100,000 New Merillat Classic® SKUs
Get a sneak peek of some of the great new products and product enhancements that will be available on April 27, including our new Chiffon and Amaretto finishes, new Desert, Tuscan and Java glazes, the new Merillat Classic® Tolani door style, decorative accents and lots of storage solutions.

Revolutionary New CoreGuard^™ Sink Base Cabinet on Display
We’ll also be showing off our exclusive new CoreGuard™ water resistant sink base that re-thinks base cabinet construction by specifically addressing issues such as spills and plumbing leaks. Available this fall, CoreGuard makes detection and cleaning of leaks and spills a breeze.

Corner Storage Made Easier with CornerStore^™ Cabinet
Check out cool new storage options like the CornerStore^™, our prototype corner access cabinet. Available December 2010, this product brings more storage and easy accessibility to that notoriously tight corner cabinet area and provides a high capacity alternative to the traditional Lazy Susan.

Plan Your Space with Our Virtual Selection Center
Envision your kitchen before you build with our new interactive planning tool, the Virtual Selection Center, which we’ll be unveiling at the show.

If you’re at the show, come by booth #S1217 and say hello as you browse our latest trends, styles and designs!

A lot of interesting presentations are already in the KBIS lineup. Here are just few we look forward to checking out:

• The Connected Kitchen
• Trends in Kitchen Ventilation
• Appliances in Unexpected Places
• Shades of Green
• Designing Kitchens for Gourmet Chefs

Check out the 2010 KBIS full lineup and schedule here.

About KBIS

KBIS is the world’s largest international trade show event dedicated to the kitchen and bath industry. It is the ultimate destination for viewing the latest and greatest products, designs, trends and education that the industry has to offer. Year after year, KBIS continues to showcase more products than ever, bringing you star-studded celebrity guests, providing the most informative educational sessions and delivering the best networking opportunities.