Poggenpohl rolled out the red carpet at Raffles Boulevard in Singapore for the opening of its XTRA’s Kitchen showroom. Dirk Lange, Managing Director of Poggenpohl Group Holding GmbH, worked with his new dealer XTRA to put together an exciting and thoughtful program with plenty of culinary treats. In doing so, it was important to illuminate the topics of design, architecture, craftsmanship and culinary arts in a cross-genre manner. Cuisine and cooking engaged in a delightful dialogue that evening. An interplay between design, art and architecture. Also a creative interplay between curved softness and puristic clarity. Feels like a metamorphosis, similar to the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. But companies like Poggenpohl also change, reinvent themselves, Dirk Lange emphasized. The opening is part of the planned strengthening of Poggenpohl’s presence in Asia, which has already seen the opening of further studios.
In the midst of the opening and at the counter of the Poggenpohl kitchen, chefs Justin Quek and Juliana were joined by Janice Wong. Wong is an artist, chocolatier, chef and entrepreneur from Singapore. In addition to restaurants, dessert bars and retail stores, she is also known for her edible art installations. She has won several awards, including two consecutive “Best Pastry Chef in Asia” at the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants.” Equally intriguing are the dishes created by chefs Justin Quek and Juliana. Their specialty is French-Asian cuisine. Quek is Singapore’s most internationally renowned chef and the first Asian chef to be invited to Lufthansa’s Star Chefs program.
At the end, there was enthusiastic applause for the culinary artists. After this successful kick-off event in the showroom of XTRA’s Kitchen, the invited guests still had the opportunity to talk to each other and to take a leisurely look at the Poggenpohl kitchens amidst selected design classics. Surely Andrew Zimmern would have enjoyed the evening as well, as his culinary travels often take him to Asia. Maybe he’ll stop by XTRA on his next trip to Singapore!
XTRA is a high-end design store in Singapore that was established in 1989. Originally, the store was located in heritage showrooms in the east of the city. It began as an alternative, eclectic purveyor of unique design eces, but has since evolved into a renowned supplier with a carefully curated range of global design products for the home and contract market. As a result, XTRA’s new, spectacularly staged showroom now features Poggenpohl Kitchens, the luxury kitchen manufacturer from Germany, alongside exclusive and unique furniture, lighting and accessories.
The collection on display here has been assembled and specially selected by the best designers and companies from around the world. At XTRA, they are convinced that only outstanding quality and appealing design will last beyond the day.
Editor’s tip: For everyone who couldn’t be there at the opening but would like to find out more about Poggenpohl in Asia, we recommend taking a look at the world of XTRA in Singapore.
