Wednesday, March 2, 2011


Portfolio Kitchen and Home To Open Kansas City Flagship Store



Portfolio Kitchen and Home, recognized throughout the Midwest as the premier kitchen, bath and home design resource, announced  its plans to open their Kansas City Flagship Store. The Portfolio Flagship Store, opening summer 2011, will be located at 215 W. Pershing in the historic Pershing Building, one of the jewels in the Midtown architectural crown that includes Union Station, Liberty Memorial, the original Kansas City Post Office and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. A year in the making, the over 7,000 square foot Flagship Store will represent the most significant example of sophisticated design culture experienced outside of New York, Los Angeles or Chicago—an iconic symbol of great design for the Midwest.
I recently attended a cooking demonstration hosted by Portfolio and found several kitchens I wanted to have wrapped up and sent to my home. Today's materials and appliances give you choices never before available. If you want to go sleek....its available; European?....you can have it;  The best way I can describe today's kitchens is elegantly sexy.  I can just picture Sean Connery and me sharing a late night frittata and bottle of wine in one of these kitchens! Whatever your choice might be, Portfolio has it.  I can only imagine the creative experience that the new Portfolio flagship store will be!
An innovative store design, exclusive merchandise and one-of-a-kind client experience will be the hallmarks of Portfolio’s new destination Flagship Store. The numerous display environments will be designed to create an intimate experience that optimally showcases Portfolio’s signature product collections. Elegantly restrained spaces that translate the quality of materials and finishing apparent in all of Portfolio’s brands. “The Portfolio Flagship Store brings together our heritage of innovative products and design with a dynamic location that will showcase Portfolio’s essence as a unique and exceptional brand,” said Portfolio CEO/Principal Geri Higgins. This dynamic location will showcase the entire collection of Portfolio’s custom cabinetry and value-conscious Studio PKH brands as well as their extensive array of services including space planning, design/lifestyle consultation, product specification and design trend analytics. New and unique products not found elsewhere in Kansas City will also be added to the exclusive Portfolio collection of brands. The Portfolio mission has always been to empower its clients through great design that expresses their personal style and with the opening of the Portfolio Flagship Store, Kansas City will have an even better opportunity to experience all that Portfolio Kitchen and Home has to offer. Another key component to Portfolio’s past and future success is the incredible talent among its seasoned design team and their “client-driven” approach to design. The Flagship Store will allow the Portfolio design team to better engage with clients making the experience totally unique and more relevant to their needs and lifestyle.


The Portfolio Flagship Store represents another celebration of Kansas City’s vibrant, revitalized urban core, an attraction worthy of national recognition for its spectacular aesthetic and exclusive landmark location. The goal for the Flagship Store’s design was to create an interior that matched the beauty and attention to detail of the Pershing building’s elegant exterior - an urban cool setting with a strong nod to the building’s heritage of 1920’s sophistication. Portfolio sought to design elegant interior environments for their Flagship Store that translate

the quality of the products and materials that make up the Portfolio brand - a showplace of fabulous products for kitchen and home that evokes the feeling of being in an exclusive 5th Avenue boutique. “We could think of no better business to occupy this stunning space,” said Pershing Building owner Dan Clothier. “Portfolio has taken the utmost care to respect the integrity of the original structure while creating a distinctly new and exciting creative hub.” The Portfolio Flagship Store will also be a spectacular setting for a variety of activities including gallerias, cooking demonstrations, lifestyle seminars, charitable events, book signings and much more. The supremely equipped demonstration kitchen will be specifically designed to host live demonstrations as well as television and radio broadcast events providing a wonderful resource not only for their local client base but also for others in the architecture and design fields.

Upon its summer 2011 opening, the Portfolio Flagship Store will provide a rich, creative environment for the exploration of exceptional design and products. Through its design, product collections, and artisan materials, accessories and more, the Portfolio Flagship Store is specifically modeled to its clientele and community while elevating their select brands beyond Kansas City to regional and national levels.

About Portfolio Kitchen and Home:

Over the past six years Portfolio Kitchen and Home has specialized in providing premium design and cabinetry for residential and commercial clients throughout the Midwest and beyond. Recipients of numerous awards and accolades for their work, including the prestigious Edward Tanner Award for interior design, Portfolio designers work daily with Kansas City’s foremost architects, developers, builders and designers on projects ranging from residential homes to commercial hospitality kitchens and multi-unit lofts and condos. In addition to design and cabinetry, Portfolio’s core competencies include product specification, space planning, design trend analytics and design/lifestyle consultations. Portfolio Kitchen and Home is a member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and have had numerous projects featured in local, regional and national design publications.
Contact Information:

Portfolio Kitchen and Home
8027 State Line Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64114
816-363-5300
http://www.portfolio-home.com/

Now, for that frittata, may I suggest my
Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Onion, Basil & Sausage Frittata

9 large organic eggs, beaten, organic eggs, beaten
4 potatoes, scrubbed
1 large onion, diced
2 medium-sized sweet peppers, chopped
A large handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered, depending on their size
6 oz salami, sliced or cubed
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbps fresh basil, rinsed, dried and coarsely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
Several grinds of black pepper
2 tsps olive oil

1. Boil or steam the potatoes until just tender when pricked with a fork. Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle. Dice the onions and slice up the peppers.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame (you will be baking the frittata in this dish so be sure to choose one that is both oven-proof and large enough to hold all the ingredients.) Sautee the onions in the oil for 5 minutes then add the peppers and cook another 3-5 minutes, until softened.
3. Grate the cheese, cut the salami and cube the potatoes, then chop the basil. Beat the eggs in a bowl, throwing in the basil, cheeses (but keep a little bit of the cheddar aside to top the dish with) and salami and seasoning with the sea salt and pepper (use enough salt to season the whole dish but keep in mind that the Parmesan and the salami are also salty.)
4. Grease a baking dish (you can use a pie dish, gratin dish or small lasagna pan) then arrange the potatoes, onions and peppers in a single jumbled layer and pour the egg, cheese, salami, basil mixture evenly over them. Top with the reserved cheddar. Bake for 15 minutes or until the eggs have set. Transfer the skillet to the oven and brown it under the broiler for 2 or so minutes (keep it at a bit of a distance from the flame if you can and be sure to keep a close eye on this since things can burn very quickly under the broiler) to brown the top.
5. Remove from broiler and allow to cool slightly then cut into generously sized wedges, and serve, right there in your gorgeous new kitchen. I know Sean is going to love it!

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy
oil painting by Kay Tucker

Somerset Autumn on Wea Creek

Somerset Autumn on Wea Creek
Oil Painting by Kay Tucker, Private Collection

Floral

Floral
oil painting by Kay Tucker

Kansas Storm

Kansas Storm
oil painting by Kay Tucker, Private Collection

Watercolor Collage

Watercolor Collage

Tempo al Tempo....All in Good Time

Tempo al Tempo....All in Good Time
48"x36" sculptural painting by Kay Tucker