Cooking and kicking it: backyard edition | Recordnet.com

Cooking and kicking it: backyard edition | Recordnet.com

Cooking and kicking it: backyard edition
Stockton residents take advantage of warm summers and cool Delta breezes with outdoor living spaces
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Yvonne Hall is from New Orleans and wanted gas lanterns similar to those in the French Quarter.
CLIFFORD OTO/The Record

By Jo Ann Kirby
Record Staff Writer
June 10, 2011 12:01 AM
Let's face it.

The kitchen is the most popular room in the house.

Just ask any host.

But long summer nights and that cool Delta breeze make our climate ideal for taking the party outside.

And what better way to do that than to create an outdoor kitchen space?

"I always kid around that about five years ago, Stocktonians woke up one morning and said, 'Hey, we have great weather, we should go outside,' " Stockton architect Chris Schrimpl said. "It's more than a trend, it's a given now that a remodel project or a new home will include an outdoor kitchen."

Whether the foundation is a 25-by-25-foot concrete patio or an empty acre, you can extend your home's boundaries by heading outdoors.

"Introducing an enhanced outdoor living space invites families out of the air-conditioned home into the fresh air and encourages entertaining for family and friends in a relaxing environment," said landscape architect Jeff Gamboni of Stockton, who has consulted with many area homeowners. "They increase the livable square footage without all the expense of an addition while providing a direct addition to one's garden."

And while Schrimpl and Gamboni work with many high-end clients, even new housing developments are starting to feature outdoor living spaces as part of their floor plans. And do-it-yourself TV shows and websites are walking homeowners through outdoor kitchen projects.

"One local builder asked us to update their floorplans to offer outdoor kitchens as an option," Schrimpl said of how the indoor/outdoor concept is now mainstream.

A shelter of some sort - whether it's a roof, awning or pergola - helps make the space even more usable no matter the weather.

A feature that is an obvious must is the barbecue with counter space and a sink, Schrimpl says, but then there are the add-ons that can make it even more appealing.

For the Hall family of Stockton, a backyard project turned into a warm and inviting open area that they will be able to use nearly year-round, thanks to its peaked teak roof and a fireplace.

"We were redoing our backyard and it was just going to be a patio but it really evolved," Yvonne Hall said of a new outdoor living area with room for cooking, grilling, lounging and dining. "My friend said we should really think about an outdoor kitchen and we just love it."

Hall's friend - Denise Guntert of Delta Design - thought it would be a much more practical use of what used to be three little, old buildings on the property.

After all, with four growing boys, there is the potential for the Hall family to spend a lot of time entertaining friends and family in an expansive backyard that features a large swimming pool and a huge tree that the home's original owners loved to picnic under.

The Halls had expert help from Gamboni and also from contractor Albert Toccoli, architect Chris Schrimpl, and Sim Rizzo of SR Landscape to come up with a seamless and sleek space that also manages to be comfortable, kid-proof and weather resistant.

The furniture is covered in Sunbrella fabrics, known for being able to withstand the rigors of the elements. There is a Sunbrite all-weather TV over the fireplace that is engineered to withstand dirt, insects, scratches and extreme temperature ranges. A Big Green Egg ceramic grill is fitted perfectly into the honed granite countertop and doubles as a pizza oven. A flick of a switch turns on a heat lamp hanging from the ceiling.

But perhaps one of the most unique features are a reminder of gracious, Southern outdoor living.

"I'm from New Orleans, which is known for its beautiful gas lanterns," Hall said of the timeless lights crafted by coppersmiths in the French Quarter. "These gas lanterns are from the Bevolo company and they just look so pretty at night."

Although their outdoor kitchen was completed this past spring, Yvonne and Rupert are still putting the finishing touches on it with plans for additional landscaping, all-weather curtains and the installation of fans to cool the space down in the heat of July and August.

But already a little dove feels right at home. It's made a nest.

Embracing nature is all part of the outdoor experience.

Hummingbirds flit by as Heide Cortopassi picks some basil from her herb garden for pizzas she will cook in her Italian pizza oven.

The herb garden features mint, rosemary, sage and other useful edibles that she features in both indoor and outdoor cooking.

She credits Bryant Harris of Pools by Nelson, landscaper Mike Granlees, and also Gamboni who says incorporating edible plants into landscape design is one of the biggest trends he is seeing in outdoor living right now.

"The biggest change I see in outdoor living is increasing interest in growing fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs at home," he said. "Our climate is ideal for year-round food production."

But the oven is the visual and physical centerpiece of the Cortopassi home's outdoor living space, a huge backyard that has the feel of a courtyard. It also features a swimming pool and hot tub; a kitchen area with counter space, a built-in grill and sink; those raised beds with herbs, flowers and lemon trees; plenty of seating options and more.

"This pizza oven is the big hit of this outdoor area. The rest of it is just my island with a sink and barbecue," she said. "When people come over, most of the time we make pizza. I love food and I love having people eat food."

It's a philosophy well suited to outdoor entertaining.

"Great food - the kind of food you really enjoy eating, sharing with friends and talking about - doesn't come from fancy kitchens," she said. "It comes from fresh ingredients and equipment that is reliable and functions well."

Cortopassi found her pizza oven at Mugnaini Imports. The Watsonville company features Italian pizza ovens that are must-haves for restaurants. They have a popular line of residential ovens for outdoor kitchens and even a line of mobile ovens.

Best of all, the wood-burning oven doubles as a heat source on cool, autumn nights.

"Truly, we use it about nine months out of the year," Cortopassi said. "When my friends bring their kids over we fire up pizza. It's something everyone loves."

Inside her home's kitchen she has a view through the windows of her pizza oven.

"I would say to anyone who is thinking about an outdoor kitchen, just do it," she said. "It doesn't matter how big or how small your kitchen is, it's a place where everyone gathers."

The same holds true when the kitchen is outdoors.

Contact reporter Jo Ann Kirby at (209) 546-8256 or jkirby@recordnet.com. Visit her blog at recordnet.com/lensblog.



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