The Epicurean Kitchen

Yeah.. thats right... I named my kitchen. I think any culinary expedition begins with a well named kitchen. I'm not saying that it's going to end up in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History next to  Julia Child’s original Massachusetts kitchen. I'm just saying it's not gonna make it there without a name.

So, "How did I go about setting up The Epicurean Kitchen?" you ask. Good question! Well... after years of painstakingly traveling the world visiting kitchens, cocinas, cucines, küchens, køkkeners, and the like, taking copious notes, and conferring with top notch chefs, I worked with a team of world renowned kitchen designers to create the perfect kitchen... "Really?" you ask... No, not really... I pulled this kitchen out of my ass with a tiny budget, an even tinier space, a little creative thinking, and a little place I like to call "IKEA-ping me on budget".

Fist of all, the existing kitchen had absolutely ZERO counter space. So I found a couple sideboards to run along an empty wall creating over 7 feet of counter space. The sideboards have drawers for storage as well as shelves underneath for storage. I recommissioned some shelves that used to be in my living room to use for cookbooks and storage. I place the microwave on the bottom shelf of one of the sideboards keeping my countertop clear, while providing me easy access when cooking.

Next, the kitchen has a couple small awkward cabinets, what don't hold much of anything and are on the opposite wall from my cooking area.Those cabinets are already full of dishes and glassware so my next step was to create some storage space above the sideboards. I chose to use open shelves rather than cabinets for a few reasons. 1) I wanted easy access to my cooking supplies and utensils while cooking. 2) Cabinets would have been too bulky and made an already claustrophobic space even more cramped and stuffy. 3) I'm kind-of a dork and like the look of my kitchen supplies being on display, reminds me of a professional/restaurant kitchen, which I have always liked the look of.

I used shelves from Ikea that have matching wall organizers for spice racks and utensils. I also found matching spice jars and larger glass food storage jars of various sizes. The spice racks hand directly from the shelves and I purchased some s-hooks to hand pots and pans from the shelving.

The kitchen is still a work in progress, I hope to add to the functionality of the kitchen as I learn more about the art of cooking. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated. And please don't hesitate to submit suggestions and ideas on how to create an amazing culinary experience in a small space and on a tight budget.

All in all, I think everything came together rather well. Now I have a space to begin my culinary adventure!