Richard Hamilton: Test Drive a Bonnet

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Concerned about Richard Hamilton, after reading about the bad turn done unto him at his former haunts The Spiced Pear by insensitive White House headhunters? Fear not the dark path for this rising chef: the Force is strong in this one. Besides, if you're deep into restaurants for professional kitchens and keep up with the trade magazines, you might have noticed that Richard has turned up in a rag or two. Some chefs like knives. Richard is into ovens, and he's been working with Bonnet. Hotels Magazine, published by Reed Elsevier, ran an article in September 2003 about customized kitchens right after Spiced Pear Restaurant opened in the new Chanler Hotel of Newport, Rhode Island (August 2003) with a Bonnet oven. Don't know Bonnet? If it were a car, Bonnet would be a Ferrari or Lamborghini (or, if you're into motorcycles, a Ducatti) compared to a Vulcan oven as a Lexus or Mercedes. The comparisons are doubly apt, since top-end ovens are to France what top-end cars are to Italy, the best of the best, la creme de la creme. So, Hawkins International PR chose well when they announced at the opening "Custom Built Kitchen at the Heart of Spiced Pear Restaurant," namely a Bonnet Cooking Suite worth $100,000. Talk about precious craft: Bonnet only turns out 100 ovens a year! Before you can think like a chef (so to speak) and own one of these treasures, you have to simply think you are indeed that caliber of chef. High-end equipment manufacturers are into consolidation these days, wrote Hotels, not only through mergers and acquistions and partnerships but also one-stop solutions -- the suite: Bonnet, long established in the customized cooking suite business in Europe, specializes in upscale operations, especially with its branded “Maestro Classic” line of cooking suites. A distinct feature of these suites is the top of the unit, which is composed of a single piece of 3-mm (.12-in.) thick stainless-steel titanium alloy, and radiates a gentle heat to the entire top surface of the suite. This area can be used for a variety of purposes, from holding sauces to keeping plates warm. Additionally, Bonnet’s design is built to have all the heat moved toward the center of the suite, thus lowering the heat output, and creating a desirable work environment. (click here to read full article) In short, Bonnet (and some competitors) has already thought out dream-team technical combinations -- for anyone who can afford a suite. Enter Sarah Wally of Maverick Cuisine LLC. Sarah was a San Francisco building contractor who got sucked into Food as construction manager (1990-1995) for the CIA's Greystone campus. Working with long-time colleague Mark Stech Novak, she oversaw installation of Bonnet's first North American units -- all 12 of them. In 1996, when Mark specified another Bonnet for Le Cirque, Bonnet asked Sarah to come back East for that installation, and so Maverick Cuisine LLC was born, Bonnet's exclusive importer/installer for the U.S. and Canada. Sarah's partner, John Knight, an electrical engineer, handles technical specifications for each project: he designs, installs, and maintains the suites. Richard works with John to instruct chefs on how best to use Bonnets. Wealthy home-owning clients want the best, and when they see Maverick's Bonnet-cooking professional chef clients, they see a culinary dream team come true. In fact, fully one third of superchfblog's offical list of super chefs are part of the Bonnet team: Ferran Adria Paul Bocuse Daniel Boulud Alain Ducasse Thomas Keller Gordon Ramsay Joel Robuchon Claude Troisgros Jean-Georges Vongericthen Many Michelin three-star chefs across Europe endorse Bonnet, but Sarah's relationship with Richard is a first for the American market. Sarah told superchefblog that he's perfect as a Maverick spokesperson. He's got every chef qualification one could wish for, but he also has a gentle, non-threatening manner (she calls this "Southern" -- as in Southern gentleman) and he can talk the talk that bridges the gap between kitchen professionals and the growing number of clients who want a Bonnet in their own home kitchens. (Food Network, are you listening? Isn't this just the kind of guy you want to star in your shows?) Moreover, Maverick has opened an enormous showroom in New Jersey (see map), an easy 50-minute train ride from New York's Penn Station> and then two blocks to their door. Inside, you can test drive a Bonnet -- or hold a demonstration or a party or a film shoot. The date of the official opening is being finalized, but Sarah anticipates end of next month (September 2005). Naturally, this is not all Richard is doing. Currently, he is consulting on a large hotel-and-restaurant project. He is putting in two Bonnet suites of course, hiring top kitchen designer Jean-Yves Loizance of Food & Wine Research of Boston for an anticipated opening of end of 2006. Stay tuned for more details -- and do not underestimate the power of the Force. Previous articles: Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef White House Chef: Close to the Bone White House CHEFGATE: Richard Hamilton's Story Supreme Court Justice: White House Chef Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine kitchen kitchen appliances --> back to superchefblog