Sub-Zero & Wolf

Kitchen Soul-mates 

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

Top-rate refrigeration brand Sub-Zero and cooking implement label Wolf presented the country’s winning entrants in the worldwide Kitchen Design Contest through an intimate media luncheon recently at the Focus Global showroom, distributors of the aforementioned products. Sub-Zero and Wolf created a Kitchen Design Contest to honor the professionals who have helped make these brands the quintessential components of the uncompromised kitchen. Occurring once every two years, the competition is the most respected within the design industry and is judged by a panel of professional designers representing the various disciplines under kitchen design.

The contest dates back to 1992 when it was only open to entries from North America (USA and Canada). It was only in 2004 when the contest was opened to entries from the international market, and for three consecutive times since then, the Philippines has been the continental winner for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. In 2004-05, interior design board top-notcher Cara Marcelo won the International Category Award (Asia-Pacific/Middle East) for best kitchen design. Her winning entry was a modern kitchen designed for a family well-known for having one of the biggest restaurant chains in the country. The homeowners thought it was high time to update their old kitchen into an open welcoming space where they can entertain guests, have family meals, and concoct new recipes to add to their expanding menu. So Cara designed a kitchen with clean lines, granite counter-tops, glass elements, beautiful garden views and fully integrated appliances. The homeowner’s dream comes full circle with the addition of a Sub-Zero 424 wine storage as this allowed them to wine & dine their guests and encourage family interaction in a place that’s perfect for their lifestyle. 

”I had big kitchens in mind and how household help use them aside from the homeowners. It’s very functional though a lot of things come into play such as feng sui, house pets, and kids. The design was very much a part of the homeowner’s lifestyle and daily activities. Each continent has a winner in the international design category,” shared Cara during the open forum. 

In 2006-07, Architect Ed Calma won the same award. His winning design was for a kitchen that was almost as large as a chapel with two double doors that provided a cathedral-like entry. It boasted of high ceilings with clerestory glass windows bathing the kitchen area with natural light and views of the sky and surrounding trees. It had two zones defined by a large stainless center counter for food preparation with a Wolf double-oven as well as five integrated modules. On the opposite side of the counter, three Sub-Zero 736TCI units placed side by side made for an imposing wall. The other zone was a breakfast area defined by a multi-level bar counter made of solid wood. “The judges were impressed with the sizes of our designs. They were, clearly, innovations in design integrated within the architecture. More than function, my design went for a higher aesthetic. Everything was part of the living room: the center for entertainment in every home,” Arch. Calma proudly enthused.

For 2008-09, however, not only did Arch. Ed Calma bag the International Category Award (Asia-Pacific/Middle East) again but also bested all continental entrants and won the Grand Prize for the Contemporary Kitchen Design in the overall global competition. This was the first time that international winners could compete for the overall categories as well. The winning entry that bested 1,400 other entries is no other than Arch. Calma’s very own kitchen. With the counter as focal point on an open plan, it bisected the areas of the kitchen space and living room as well as dining area. He wanted to emphasize this division spatially by continuing a framing element on the second floor to become a bar counter of the kitchen. The cooking counter thus became an integral part of the interior architecture. The rest of the kitchen was left empty like a small gallery where the Sub-Zero 736TCI made it possible to be concealed into the rest of the storage pantry cabinetries. The central location of the cooking counter and its design integration with the rest of the interiors made it a main topic of conversation whenever guests came in. 

"The more original your design is, the judges would be keen about it. The more you experiment and introduce things to the design world, you have better chances of getting the judges attention,” remarked Arch. Calma, adding that he’ll try his luck again in the forthcoming competition and those in the future until organizers tell him to stop.

The Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen design contest pays tribute to the best kitchens by showcasing the best designers and their best designs. The Philippines prides itself with having three continental wins for Asia-Pacific/Middle East in a row, plus an over-all Gran Prix for contemporary kitchen design. The aforementioned kitchen fixtures are built to professional standards, though you don’t need to be a professional to appreciate them. Whatever your level of skill in the kitchen, their easy-to-use technology is designed to making cooking a pleasure, inspiring you to cook, at freezing or boiling point, with confidence and to achieve perfect results; time after time. Unlike many manufacturers, Sub-Zero and Wolf are specialists and focus solely on making the best refrigeration and cooking appliances possible. Everything is built to the highest standards and their workmanship spells kitchen perfection. Their expertise has been honed over generations. 

Sub-Zero has been designing the ultimate in refrigeration for more than 60 years. Wolf, on the other hand, has been creating cooking equipment to satisfy the most demanding professional chefs and domestic cooks for more than seven decades. Sub-Zero's founder Westye Bakke was a world pioneer in ultra-low temperature storage; which is how the firm got its name. It was Bakke’s ground-breaking products that first made refrigeration a reality for the modern home. A shrewd businessman and inspired engineer, he was driven by a personal motive too as he needed a reliable domestic fridge himself to store insulin for his diabetic son. Those first products have set the benchmarks for quality, performance and reliability right back in 1945. 

On the other hand, Wolf’s reputation for outstanding professional cooking equipment dates back even further. Acquired by Sub-Zero in 2000, Wolf brings its own lineage with more than 70 years of expertise with cooking appliances. Two brands, but with only one driving passion: to build outstanding kitchen implements that looks great and delivers the professional performance that instills real cooking confidence. Both from the U.S., Sub-Zero built-in refrigeration systems and Wolf cooking equipment are housed at the Focus Global’s expansive 1,200-square-meter showroom along the corner of Pioneer and Reliance streets in Mandaluyong City. You may also reach them through tel. no. 634-8587 and email address corporate@focusglobalinc.com. Showroom hours are from 10 in the morning ‘til 7 in the evening Tuesdays through Saturdays; and from 1 in the afternoon ‘til 6 in the evening on Sundays. For more information, simply get in touch with Melissa Ah through mobile # 0919-5623278.