Delish Kitchen Studios: Designed to Make Food Even More Fun

From the start quotthe Delish brand has been all about making food fun and accessiblequot said Joanna Saltz Editorial Director for Hearst39s Delish as well as House Beautiful quotYou don39t have to know how to cook you just have to love to eat It39s about getting into the kitchen with people you love it39s more about the action of bringing people together to eat rather than about the food being perfectquotWhile the food didn39t necessarily need to be perfect it was hard to create the brand of their dreams on an office floor The team was upgraded to a 350squarefoot kitchen that Hearst39s Good Housekeeping was no longer using While that was certainly better the space had a gigantic island in the middle that left very little room to maneuver around which becomes challenging once you realize you need lights cameras microphones and actual people to produce highquality videoEven in that limited space the Delish team was garnering 19 million uniques a month and that traffic has continued to grow over the years to as high as 40 to 50 million a month during the pandemic amp8220We really pushed that kitchen to the limitsamp8221 said Saltz sometimes shooting two videos at the same time in the same spaceEventually the team was granted the use of another 350squarefoot kitchen next door but that still wasn39t enoughIn early 2020 Saltz approached the executive management team and said amp8220amp8216if we can build this brand with 350 square feet imagine what we could do if you gave us 3000 square feet It was really very brass tacksamp8221After nearly five years of producing content in lessthanoptimal spaces Saltz and her team had time to dream about what they would want if they could design a space from the ground upamp8220What we really wanted was a space that allowed for amp8216yesamp8217 moments of collaboration but also allowed for us to create custom content in a wellcurated spaceamp8221 Saltz said amp8220What we conceptualized were individual studios that had specific attributes for the types of content we wanted to createamp8221More than three years later Saltz39s dream for the Delish brand came true with the opening of Delish Kitchen Studios a 3000foot production space that includes a test kitchen event space bar and three studios all designed specifically to produce different types of content whether it39s for the website YouTube TikTok Instagram or FacebookquotWe want the space to feel friendly and approachable first we don39t want it to feel clinical or sterile but clean bright and beautiful It39s very textural with lots of patterns beautiful photography and fun murals It reflects how we want people to feel when they are around delicious thingsquot said SaltzWhile the space looks like somewhere a person could live comfortably it39s ultimately built for productionquotEach of the studios is closed and sound proofed They each have windows so you can peer in and feel engaged but they also have giant blackout curtains that can be drawnquot Saltz said quotYou can be doing a photoshoot in one kitchen and a video in anotherquotThere are also light grids in the ceilings so that lighting can be customized for every piece of content whether it39s a closeup quothandsandpansquot piece a video providing instructions on how to make a certain recipe or a celebrity talking about their last great mealTo create the space Delish worked with several partners Kitchen designers Jacobs Doland Beer helped the Delish squad really think through the space partnering with architects Gerner Kronick Valcarcel DPCquotJacobs Doland Beer came back with such an incredibly brilliant planquot said Saltz quotWhat they were able to really do for us is to make us think about how a kitchen should function and function wellquotThat included a space for quotback of housequot where the basic needs of a kitchen dish washing freezing drystoring could take place off camera quotYou have to be able to clear the chaos so you can think about the contentquot Saltz saidWhile the new space is functional it39s also beautiful and colorful Most of the space is done in neutrals stainless steel appliances white quartz countertops blond wood and light gray cabinets But each room includes pops of color that lend elements of surprise and delight with interior designer Betsy Wentz guiding the team39s selectionsquotThe test kitchen is filled with so much bright fun color while the studio spaces are more pared down but feel soft We used a lot of muted woods and soft graysquot said Saltz who describes the accent palette as quotpoppy jewel tonesquot such as teal and coralThere are also other details throughout the space that allows the team to customize it on the fly amp8211 for example they can remove parts of the countertops and the large center islandDelish Kitchen Studios incorporates three key brand partners All of the appliances from the refrigerators to the gas and induction ranges to the microwave ovens in the three contentproduction studios are by GE ProfilequotI wanted us to be working on not just appliances that worked well but that didn39t look overwhelming in picturesquot said Saltz quotThey needed to be the right mix of getting it done and funquotBeverage partner TheBarcom by Diageo helped Delish stock its bar with such liquors as Ketel One vodka Captain Morgan rum Tanqueray gin Don Julio tequila and Bulleit bourbon And Goodcook provided an array of kitchen gadgets from rubber spatulas to vegetable peelers to whisks and handheld juicersWith Delish Kitchen Studios ready to cook Saltz and her team look forward to putting out all sorts of new contentquotEverybody is creating content right now We live in a world in which content is fun and faster than ever I want us to be able to function with a level of speed and curiosity that the TikToks and the Reels have brought to the world but with a really defined and curated eye We are experts for a reason we know this content really wellquotPhotographs by Christian HarderClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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Delish Kitchen Studios: Designed to Make Food Even More Fun

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Paige Albiniak

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