From House To Home

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Pioneer women spent much of their lives cooking over an open flame as the sun set on the waving wild grasses of the Kansas prairie. Today, we have romanticized that notion, but it couldn’t have been easy or particularly romantic. The intense heat would have settled over those women, the bugs would have gathered in full force, and the wind would have come up and wreaked havoc on both the flame and the cook. Not very romantic.

Now, welcome to the outdoor kitchen of today. For this family, the romance of the outdoor blaze is very much alive and well. The homeowner explains, “ [The kitchen] has a roof, which provides much needed shade.“ 

Troy Vancil, the owner of Costello Company, Inc., and the builder on this project, says, “The framing on the roof is from Douglas fir stained to look like cedar. The connecting plates were sandblasted and taken to a radiator shop and dipped into acid to rust.“

Along with providing protection, this aged and weathered look continues the feel of the natural prairie.

The roof also allowed the family to hang eight ceiling fans. The owner remarks, “We have been out there on really hot days, and the fans do such a nice job of moving the air through that it’s so comfortable there, even when it’s quite warm outside. That’s been wonderful to be protected from the heat and the elements, and yet you do have the sense of being outside because you can see the horizon.“

A sense of being outside makes all the difference from actually being outside. In this kitchen, which is a space located fairly close to the main house, nearly all the modern amenities of a high-end, indoor kitchen are at this family’s fingertips. There is an under-counter refrigerator, two burners, and a large grill, all of which are stainless steel. The owner continues, “The one luxury item we put in was a wood-fired oven to make pizza and bread. We have used it quite a bit; my husband enjoys making bread. We haven’t begun to reach the potential of how that oven could be used.“

The family decided they wanted a really big island for serving and to use as a counter, and they, Jeff Gillam of Jones-Gillam Architects, and Troy decided to work with concrete.

The owner says, “We spent a lot of time ordering booklets on outdoor kitchens and looking through magazines. Jeff did a wonderful job of using a design that is very compatible with the limestone of the house. Both Jeff and Troy did a wonderful job.“

Also part of this kitchen and entertaining area is a Rumford Fireplace. Count Rumford was a contemporary of Benjamin Franklin, and he designed fireplaces that are much shallower and the fire opening is much taller than traditional fireplaces. The owner says, “It radiates quite a bit of heat out and truly warms the space around it. We also have some propane heaters. The hope is to have Thanksgiving out there sometime with the protection of the roof and the heat of the fireplace.“

What is missing? A hot water heater. Being in a somewhat remote location, water and the appliances that utilize it are sometimes difficult to maintain. In this outdoor kitchen, there is no dishwasher, no garbage disposal, and no hot water readily available. Dinner can be prepared in the kitchen, the meal can be eaten in the kitchen, but the dishes must be transported inside to get clean. Still, this is quite an improvement over the pioneer woman’s kitchen.

For this family, the romance of the outdoor blaze is very much alive and well.

For the homeowner, this kitchen is everything she could have hoped for. She says, “It has expanded our ability to have a larger group of people out there really comfortably. It is so delightful to be able to eat outside, but when you live in Kansas, there are few times a year to be able to do that. We designed the kitchen to expand our ability to eat outside more during the year. I love to cook—it’s one of my favorite ways to relax. What is absolutely astonishing is to be in the kitchen and look out on the horizon line and the prairie all at the same time.“

Even the pioneer women must have recognized and appreciated that beauty from time to time.