WATCH HOW THEY COOK, THEN YOU’RE ALLOWED TO EAT

It has been almost 40 years now since the first Dean & DeLuca, the world-class gourmet retail brand, opened for business in 1977 serving a wide range of foods and beverages, condiments and cooking products attentively selected from around the world. This café/upscale grocery store from New York has made a name for itself and become one of the world’s most recognized gourmet brands. 2017 is the year that Dean & DeLuca plans to expand its empire to be even more comprehensive and creative with the development of a small “chef-led fast food concept” restaurant whose aim is to serve foods of great taste and quality to a wider group of consumers.

The man behind the idea for this readjustment and expansion is Sorapoj Techakraisri, CEO of PACE Development, who took over ownership of the gourmet brand in 2014. Ole Scheeren, the architect who worked with him on the company’s mega project, MahaNakhon, was once again invited to develop the idea into an actual program. Ole tells us about the key requirement of the brief given by Dean & DeLuca’s executive stating that, “He asked for something like the Apple Store for food, but of course as a very abstract, notional reference. He meant that we should be as radical in redefining a new customer experience and how space functions.” This rather extreme demand gave birth to STAGE, the food preparation area project that ended up being something so much more. The creation has become the center of attention that has led to a great momentum shift in the design of restaurant spaces.

The elements of STAGE can be categorized into three different sections. The canopy is a series of stainless steel panels located on the upper level of the space, functioning as a source of light for the food preparation area and a space where the menus are installed. The center island is comprised of the washing area, cooking station and storage scissors (shelving structure designed to have a flexible size and capacity to maximize the efficiency of spatial usage). Last but not least is perimeter island. As the heart of the program, the piece was designed to function as a display window for the store’s food and ingredients with white Corian (synthetic stone) being chosen as the principle material. Different points of dish placements are set at premeditated heights. Once the dishes are placed at the designated points, the entire display area becomes a spectacular landscape adorned with colors of the delicately prepared food. Additionally, the reflection caused by the stainless steel surface of the above panels and counter accentuates the design creation and causes it to stand out from the surrounding space, as STAGE perfectly captures the attention of the patrons.

The intent of the design and naming of the project as STAGE came from Scheeren who wanted to create a program that would serve as a stage for the chefs at work. With its location not being hidden in a corner or separated from the dining area like it used to be, STAGE brings the chefs who were once confined in a small kitchen out into the same area with the clients. What they bring to the space is a great dynamic and energy as ‘cooking’ is no longer just a task, but a performance that is recognized and interesting for the patrons. Scheeren calls this intention ‘stage as social magnet.’ In addition to the wonderful performances of the chefs behind the stainless steel counter, there are activities happening on the customers’ side as well as they browse the area while enjoying the landscape of high quality ingredients, conversing directly with the people who cook their food, ultimately making the experience to be even more wholesome.

One interesting idea that STAGE has proposed and served well in is how it put forward a new approach to the design of a restaurant space. Due to the flexibility of its program, STAGE can be put in any type of space as the unique characteristics of the design can strengthen the brand’s image and identity. The program replaces the convention of design with the overwhelming details of the interior decoration that only lessens the value and presence of space, as well as the food it serves. One of the essences of the project is the acceptance and acknowledgement of the value of space. The architect calls it “objets trouvés” or found object, which in Conceptual Art refers to an ordinary-looking object held to have aesthetic value (despite the unlikeliness of its artistic quality). This is what we find to be particularly interesting considering how it’s the concept conceived by a gourmet brand whose distinctive style of interior space has become a major guideline that several other brands have followed.