-- From Deep Sinks, to Laminate Walls, to Baby Grand Pianos, the Country's Leading Chefs Reveal What They Can't Live Without in their Home Kitchens --

TEMPLE, Texas, Feb. 13, 2002 - The country's top chefs work in state-of-the-art kitchens designed to feed thousands daily at the grand hotels, luxurious spas and trendy restaurants where they work. In the privacy of their own homes, however, their personal choices vary concerning the types of kitchens in which they prepare meals for family and friends. To provide a rare peek at what some of the country's leading chefs consider the most essential cornerstones of their home kitchens, Wilsonart International has gone to the experts to provide their answers:

• Geoffrey Cousineau, executive chef, The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Fla. If you're serious about cooking, Cousineau recommends installing laminate on kitchen walls from floor to ceiling. “It keeps things sanitary and it looks great,” he explains. I like white because it cleans up nicely and enhances the lighting - I like a bright kitchen. Laminate also goes well with stainless steel.”
  
  Other things that top Cousineau's kitchen list include stainless steel shelving to attractively house his olive oils, vinegars and pastas; high-quality lighting; a water filter; an 8-inch butcher block on wheels; and his baby grand piano. “I'm a jazz guy,” Cousineau explains. “I have to play jazz when I'm cooking. When I'm between steps in the kitchen I go to my baby grand piano, which is next to the kitchen, and bang out a few songs.”

• Robert Carter, executive chef, Peninsula Grill, Charleston, S.C. “I don't want any commercial items in my kitchen,” Carter says. “I want it to look like a home kitchen. Therefore, I didn't want granite countertops and opted for laminate. It's easy to clean and it doesn't stain.”
  
  Carter also stresses the importance of a good ventilation system to combat the heat and smoke caused from cooking at high temperatures, in addition to a deep sink. Says Carter, “Pots and pans fit easily into a deep sink, giving you room to maneuver and it keeps the kitchen from looking cluttered.”

• Dwaine Clare, executive chef, Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort, Bahamas. Like Cousineau, Clare is also a fan of proper lighting in the kitchen as well as jazz. “I like a kitchen that has music in it. It helps me focus,” he explains.
  
  Other must-haves include an oversized island in the center of the kitchen for prepping food, quarry tile flooring, a marble rolling pin and cutting board for pastries and an oversized freezer and refrigerator. “I like to have a central area and two full sides,” says Clare. “It keeps the fridge looking more organized.”

• George McNeill, executive chef, Marriott Marquis, N.Y. Considering that McNeill recently completed a $TK renovation on his 1,000-square-foot kitchen, he has many top-of-the-line kitchen toys, including wall-mounted ovens, two stoves with 16 burners between them, custom-built cabinets and an outdoor kitchen with a spit roast.
  
  When asked to name the three top items that every kitchen should have, McNeill replies, “A great stove - spend the money, your baking and sautéing will be better - great pots and pans and most importantly, arrange your kitchen to be user friendly. Look at where your drawers and cupboards are, what you do and if you are always in one area. It may be easier to bend down and get something than walk across the room for it. Keep like items together instead of spreading them throughout the kitchen.”

Wilsonart International, based in Temple, Texas, is a leading manufacturer of decorative surfacing products, including Wilsonart® Laminate, Wilsonart Gibraltar, Wilsonart® Decorative Metals, Wilsonart® Custom Edges and Wilsonart® Flooring.

For more information about the newest additions to Wilsonart Laminate or any other Wilsonart products, please call the Customer Service Hotline at 800-433-3222, or visit the Wilsonart Web site at www.wilsonart.com.

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LHA121902

	Wilsonart’s Sunstone, the newest addition to the companys Stone Series of laminate designs.