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How To Cook Like An Italian Chef with Tecnogas Superiore

What do you get when you combine a fierce passion for performance with an unquestionably Italian flair for style? In the case of Tecnogas Superiore, you get a line of ranges that are now competing with La Cornue in the fashion-meets-function segment of the statement-making cooking appliances market.

Tecnogas Superiore has been in the range-making industry in Italy for over 60 years, and their recent entry into the North American market has introduced the tastes of Europe into North American kitchen design in a decidedly fresh way. I had a chance to learn more about the brand on my recent Designhounds London tour, and I came away with an appetite whetted for all they are poised to introduce.

My favourite range available to the North American market at the moment is the 48″ DECO Classic in Black and Brass.

The vast range of colours options in the DECO line (from a subtle matte cream to a daring racing red) and the rich metallic accents available mean that the luxury of customization is truly at your fingertips, all with remarkably swift delivery times. Those colour options become all the sexier when you learn that the finishes are in fact produced by the same factory that produces finishes for Ferrari. Yes, THAT Ferrari. And just like that, husbands are excited about ranges, too.

Some of the other standouts to me include the 48″ NEXT Panorama range.

Key features include NEXT’s tri-fuel technology, offering a combination of induction heat, gas burners and a griddle on the stove top with a classic convection oven below. The NEXT range also features extra-wide viewing windows which reduce the need to open and close the door while cooking. These highly engineered doors maintain the perfect cooking temperature inside the oven while keeping your kitchen temperature comfortable and the doors cool to the touch. Not only that, these patented doors are a wonder to clean. Feast your eyes on this video showing how easily the glass slides out for perfect cleaning every time, reassembling with a perfect seal every time so you never have to sweat over another meal again.

Having spent a full day cooking myself along with our Thanksgiving dinner for 18 people just over a week ago, I can attest to how much I would have LOVED to have this feature on my range! How decadent to cook in a cool and comfortable kitchen all day and not have to totally redo your makeup before your guests arrive thanks to the unintentional “steam facial” your culinary efforts have afforded you!

Speaking of steam, Tecognas Superiore does offer steam cooking in Italy, a collection which they plan to introduce to the North American market in 2018. That is definitely something to watch for, especially if you are a gourmande who dreams of designing a kitchen that is as fiercely fashionable as it is functional. I’ll definitely be waiting with bated breath!

Huge thanks to Luca and his lovely wife Enkelejda for meeting us in London to share both a meal and your passion for great design. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I am raising a glass to your success as you continue to introduce the richness of the Italian way of life to the North American market with Tecnogas Superiore!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 17th, 2016|0 Comments

Casa Cubista + The Best Small Business Plan I’ve Ever Heard

I don’t know about you, but I always cheer when I see a burgeoning small business succeeding. Entrepreneurialism takes guts, so when someone has the courage to step out off that cliff and free fall into their future, I am always cheering them on as they find their wings. That’s why it’s been such a joy to follow along with the journey that Arren Williams and his husband David Pimentel have taken with the creation of Casa Cubista. Arren was gracious enough to do an interview with me about the process, and I’m thrilled to be sharing it with you today.

What led to the decision for you and your husband David to take a sabbatical?

David is a teacher and has the incredible opportunity to take a sabbatical every 5 years. Last time he travelled the world, and I met up with him whenever I could, but really missed not taking the plunge with him. So when then this latest sabbatical rolled around we decided it was time for a big change for both of us!

How did you land on Olhão, Portugal as your destination of choice?

We were looking for an experience that was a different to our ‘regular’ one in Toronto as possible, and Olhão is definitely it. The town is a working fishing port on the south coast of Portugal – a part of the country called the Algarve – which has the benefit of incredible beaches, great weather, good wine and of course the freshest fish you’ve ever eaten. We both have ties to Portugal – David’s background is Portuguese, his family is from the Azores, while I’ve been travelling here since I was a kid, and have two aunts who live in the Algarve pretty much full-time.

Did you plan to start a new business before you arrived, or did it just happen upon you?

We had the spark of an idea, but then it just happened naturally. The longer we were here the more we discovered all of these beautiful handcrafted things and decided we wanted to share them with friends around the world. I joke that our business plan is to work with nice people, and that we definitely do!

Describe the process of curating and creating your product line.

Gosh, lots of research, travelling around the countryside meeting with craftspeople and seeing if and how we can work with them. Our collection is a combination of traditional crafts presented in a contemporary way, and pieces we design and collaborate on with craftspeople. It’s a labour of love because everything takes time. Whether we make one or one hundred, our tiles take a month to make, and are made in the same way that they were back in the 165th and 17th century. It really is #slowdesign.

What common qualities connect all of the products you offer?

Simple, honest materials presented with a modern point of view. Our colour palette is kept purposefully pared back, mixing natural materials like cork or terracotta with white, grey and black.

What advice would you have for someone thinking about taking the plunge on their own travel and/or entrepreneurial adventure?

Planning and patience are key and, if you’re considering something overseas, don’t come in with an ‘I need it yesterday’ attitude. Take your time and get used to the rhythm of the place, and set your expectations accordingly. Oh, and just do it! Head off overseas, do something crazy. Life is just too short!

Will you ever come back to Canada or is Portugal now home?

We come home a few times a year, and yes, Canada is still home! We’ve been living in Portugal over a year now, so let’s just say we’re playing it day by day.

The WONDERFUL news is that Arren and David are actually coming back to Toronto this week to formally launch their beautiful line of modern Portuguese homewares into the Canadian market with a pop-up shop at Saudade. Here are the details:

Casa Cubista Pop-up Shop

Wednesday, October 19th

6-9pm

Saudade Toronto

1191 Dundas St W

Saudade is on Dundas just west of Ossington, easily accessible by subway for those of you who live in the city. I truly hope to see many of your lovely faces there on Wednesday evening!

Thank you, Arren, for sharing your adventure with us, and especially for sharing the brilliance of your business plan to “work with nice people.” It’s really what counts, isn’t it? Wishing you and David massive success and happiness, on whatever continent you happen to find yourselves.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 15th, 2016|1 Comment

Spiced Delicata Squash Soup + A Harvest Table Setting with Urban Barn

The weather has truly laid out the red carpet for us for Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. The air is crisp but the sun is still warm and the colours are just starting to turn.

This time of year makes me so happy. I feel like it’s an invitation to savour life more fully, both indoors and out. There are so many wonderful opportunities to host friends as the weather cools, and there are few things we love more than inviting the people we love to share a meal around our table with us.

At this time of year, I find myself craving simple beauty and heart-warming soups, and today’s post brings together both of those things with a soup recipe by yours truly and a simple but beautiful table setting inspired by our friends at Urban Barn.

When it comes to a simple table setting, I like to work with dinnerware that does a lot of the decorative work for me. Enter the beautiful light grey Sintra collection from Urban Barn.

I love the sophistication of the delicate pattern and the gentle wash of grey glazing. The colour is soft and looks great as the canvas for any dish you can cook up, and I love the way it integrates so effortlessly with my décor. For me, this is decorative dinnerware that is fresh and timeless.

I chose to use 3 of Urban Barn’s White Outline Vases for the centre of the table, and I love the way they create a modern frame for the flowers while serving as a clean backdrop for the dinnerware. Add in the Camile Highball and Old Fashioned glassware along with some simple white napkins, and you have an effortlessly casual yet sophisticated table setting for your next gathering.

Speaking of casual yet sophisticated, this soup recipe is as easy as it is delicious. I had several discerning taste-testers (including my guys and the lovely Bruna from Simply Lace Photography, the amazing woman behind these beautiful images), and everyone raved about it. Here’s how you can make it at home (and if you click on the recipe it will pop up in another window so you can print it off!):

I can guarantee this one will be on repeat in our household over the next few months, especially as the weather gets colder. I hope you and yours will enjoy a few bowls of it together, too, as you savour the changing seasons and as the nesting instinct that comes with winter kicks in.

Huge thanks to my friends at Urban Barn for working with me on this post. Massive thanks as well to the lovely Bruna of Simply Lace Photography for such delicious photos. And thank you to all of you for coming and hanging out with me in my pretty little corner of the internet!

For all of my Canadian friends, I wish you a meaningful Thanksgiving weekend filled with gratitude and the opportunity to make happy memories. And to all of my international loves, I wish you a weekend filled with moments to treasure.

Be sure to pop back on Monday for more design inspiration! I’m bursting at the seams with things to share with you these days, so keep checking in to see what’s fresh and happening.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 7th, 2016|0 Comments