Gaggenau HK Flagship Grand Opening

Balia Chan

Your home is going to get a whole lot sweeter with the opening of Gaggenau‘s beautiful flagship showroom at Sunning Plaza, Causeway Bay. Gracing the grand reveal was Guest of Honour, International Culinary Ambassador and celebrity Chef Ryan Clift, with Gaggenau Regional Chief Executive Officer for BSH in Asia-Pacific and India, Dr. Dirk Hoffmann, and Managing Director of Kitchen Infinity Corp. Limited, Mrs. Sandra Wong.

Other friends of the high-end kitchen appliance specialist who were in attendance included Chef Federico Duarte from world renowned Institut Paul Bocsue Shanghai, and Mrs. Bartel, Deputy Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Hong Kong.

Styled by Hendrick Müller of eins:33, an award-winning architectural and design firm from Munich, Germany, the new House of Gaggenau hews to the sleek contemporary style of all its major global flagship showrooms, with the latest products and enticing layouts for its exclusive built-in kitchens. A highlight of the showroom was a ‘Heritage Wall’ made from the wood of a 100-year-old Black Forest chalet upon which hangs a vintage cuckoo clock, showcasing images and objects from the brand’s history, dating back 300 years to Munich.

Highlights of the flagship showcase also include a 2,000 sq ft Lifestyle Area, with private dining room and lounge for exclusive lifestyle events. The private dining area is fashionably white, with a warm orange glow, and the street façade is the first in Hong Kong using translucent corian, allowing light to stream into the showroom with a dynamic, lively effect. The design also incorporates a ‘video wall’, stand-out centerpiece of the House of Gaggenau.

The new flagship also continues a tradition of hosting top quality culinary and cultural events, with a 1,500 sq ft ‘Culinary Studio’ above the street-level showroom styled after a clubhouse, complete with private dining room and showcase kitchen for hosting prestigious cooking classes and culinary experiences.

The Culinary Studio also features a teacher station and four student stations, each accommodating up 1-2 students. Facilities include induction and gas cooktops and deep fryers, combi steam ovens and conventional ovens, and Vario cooling fridges and freezers. The ‘Culinary Studio’ was inaugurated last month with the launch of culinary classes by Institut Paul Bocuse Shanghai, founded by ‘Chef of the Century’ Paul Bocuse. Classes are also being hosted by celebrity chefs including Asia’s Chef of the Year Tony Khoo from Singapore – and the studio recently collaborated with the Hong Kong Chef’s Association, preparing Hong Kong’s national team for the 2012 Culinary Olympics.

“This concept underlines our philosophy of not only showcasing products, but the entire Gaggenau experience,” commented Managing Director of Kitchen Infinity Corp. Limited, Mrs. Sandra Wong. “The House of Gaggenau has a long-standing commitment to promote the culinary arts and works closely with some of the world’s leading chefs and restaurateurs in pursuit of constant innovation designing kitchen appliances.”

Regional CEO Dr. Hoffmann said: “As a sophisticated cosmopolitan hub of Asia and China, we are excited to extend our international network of flagship showrooms to Hong Kong.”

To celebrate the opening of ‘The House of Gaggenau’, Gaggenau also launched a new cooktop concept on the Hong Kong market. Gaggenau’s new CX480 induction hob introduces innovative technology for an intuitive full-surface cooktop, creating one large cooking area for up to four pots and pans simultaneously.

Cookware of any size and shape can be placed anywhere on its surface and the cooktop recognises the presence of pots or pans automatically, generating heat where they are detected. Cooking zones and heat settings are meanwhile selected at the touch of a fingertip, controlled via an extra-large TFT touch display.

“With the full surface induction cooktop, Gaggenau once again provides enthusiastic home cooks with added scope to pursue their culinary aspirations,” said culinary ambassador Ryan Clift, who helms the Tippling Club in Singapore.