Fuego Modular Outdoor Kitchen
8 April 2010
“Barbar Ann”
A guy like me can, and has, barbecued on just about anything, including a fifteen or twenty inch diameter rickety, aluminum throw away barbecue I used in a park one time. It didn’t really work all that well, truth to tell, but, hey, it was still a hamburger, which is actually all I care about at times. In fact, just thinking about them really has me itching for the weather to warm just a tad more, so I can roll out a barbecue (I have two!) and fire that baby up. But one of the things I always find myself fantasizing about at this time of year is the absolute perfect barbecue.
Well, sir! There is any number of candidates for the title, but the one I want to discuss today just has to have the inside track for “All-Time-Class-A-Barbecue-Concept-of-the-Century.” The Fuego Company (Spanish for fire) has set out to do nothing less than revolutionize barbecues. Seeing the results they have come up with, I almost think they should rename themselves milagro (miracle). And speaking of miracles, I would be remiss if I did not point out that Fuego is a San Francisco-based compan
y that has made its products available in both the USA and Europe and has also ventured into Australia, although more and more these days, that sort of thing is becoming less of a miracle and more of an evolution.
The design concept of the Fuego Modular itself is one of those European-looking ideas I often find myself writing about because they’re so intriguing, both in how they look and in how well they work. The difficulty for my American readers, though, is that the items themselves are often available only in Europe. But, as I continue to learn, the world is shrinking, and now I am finding companies that are positioned on both sides of the Atlantic. Who knows? Maybe someday half a century from now, it may be possible to walk through a doorway in New York and exit in Europe, a space travel on steroids type of concept. But in the meantime, we have planet earth and the things thereof, so let’s get back to the subject at hand here.
One of the things I am always impressed with is the people who are able to take ideas and concepts as they find them and somehow find another way of looking at them, to such an extent that the entire concept has been rethought. Basically, what they’re doing
is taking it apart and putting it together again, but doing it in such a way that only some of the original elements are used, some are discarded, and others are invented to both fill gaps and create areas that simply never existed in any concept previously. And if that sounds a bit complex, it’s because it is!
The motivating concept of the Fuego Modular was to design an outdoor kitchen. Fuego had already created the 01 and 02 (we show it here with the gentleman and lady), but they wanted to take the concept one step further. One of their ideas was a modular system so customers could really design their own Fuego, but after that, they wanted a long list of items that could be included: grills, cook tops, storage, warming drawers, refrigeration and a sink. But the other thing, the really cool thing, was to make very sure that it would still be possible for guests to hang out with the cook, and seeing the guest who’s hanging out with the cook in the picture. but I digress!
The Fuego Modular has been designed for the consumer to assemble as much or as little as he wishes, but those who go for it all-given the money for such a thing, that would be me!-can assemble as many six components into just about any configuration that meets one’s needs. They’ve pretty much thought of everything here, including a teak countertop and numerous storage units and additions, things like places for spices, paper towels, even a champagne holder. It’s one of those glorious outdoor kitchens I find myself fantasizing about from time to time, but with one crucial difference. You don’t have to enlist the services of a general contractor, pull building permits, or run gas lines. You just take the Fuego Modular to your yard, patio, or balcony, set it up, fire it up, and enjoy. C’mon, now, let me hear you sing it. You got me rockin’ and a rollin’, rockin’ and a reelin’, bar bar bar bar Barbecue.
Joseph
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