When I first started in this business, the conversations were fairly predictable.

People would come in and want to know about the cooking side of things. How powerful it was, how many ovens, how it all worked day to day.

That was the focus. And that all still matters, of course.

But over the last few years, I’ve noticed it change…

People aren’t starting there anymore. More often than not, they’ll stand in front of a Lacanche, Everhot or ESSE and say something like:

“I’m trying to picture what this would be like when people come over.”

That never used to be the first question. Now it comes up all the time.

I think it’s because kitchens have changed. They’re not separate rooms in the same way they used to be. Everything is more open now. The kitchen runs into the dining space, which runs into the sitting area. It’s all one room, really.

And when that happens, the person cooking doesn’t want to feel like they’ve stepped out of the evening…

They want to be in it.

That’s what’s drawing people to these cookers now. Yes, all the technical stuff is still great. But really, what people want is a true centrepiece in their kitchen that they, and their guests, can enjoy being around.

You end up naturally gathering around them. Conversations happen there. People hover, talk, pour a drink, and keep you company while something’s simmering.

I see it when customers bring in their kitchen plans…

We’ll be looking over layouts, and you can tell straight away which kitchens are going to work well for that kind of atmosphere. Usually, it’s nothing complicated. Just a little space around the cooker, somewhere for people to stand or sit, and a layout that doesn’t push everything into corners.

It’s a small shift, but it changes the whole feel of the space.

So it makes sense that the conversation has changed as well…

It’s less about “what does this cooker do?” and more about “how do you want your kitchen to feel?”