Pulte kitchen meets chef's approval

Pulte Homes has established a partnership with Chef Gustav Mauler to endorse the home builder's new, high-tech kitchen, according to Randy Bury, president of Pulte Homes' Las Vegas Division. He said the agreement sets the company apart from its local competition and calls attention to its new kitchen options package.

The announcement was part of the International Builders' Show held Tuesday through Thursday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which hosted an estimated 70,000 home builders, vendors and suppliers. Mauler performed cooking demos at the show using the appliances he is endorsing as options with Pulte.

The offer will begin in March at the Paradiso development in Summerlin.

"The upgraded appliances will carry the celebrity chef's seal of approval. Mauler, one of 54 Certified Master Chefs in the nation, personally provided recommendations and established standards to develop an upgraded kitchen package that would bear his endorsement," Bury said.

"Pulte is very excited about forming this exclusive partnership with Gustav. To be able to offer a kitchen that is superior enough to have a renowned chef like Gustav put his seal of approval on it just adds that much more to the already great product that Pulte offers."

The upgrade package will feature all stainless steel appliances, including a wall-mounted hood, professional-grade cook top with a gas burner and grill, built-in microwave with speed cook technology, double convection oven, warming drawer, built-in refrigerator with a dispenser, integrated dishwasher, and wine chiller.

In addition, Mauler will make personal appearances, including cooking demonstrations.

"The kitchen has become more of a focal point for the home, especially with the growing number of at-home chefs," Mauler said. "Thus with my expertise in cooking and experience designing commercial kitchens, I felt it was a natural step to give the homeowner a kitchen with a well-planned appliance package for cooking and entertaining."

The partnership is expected to extend beyond the Paradiso neighborhood.

Mauler, a native of Austria, is president and CEO of Gustav International, a restaurant, hospitality, management and consulting company based in Las Vegas. The company operates four restaurants, OXO and Spiedini in the JW Marriott resort in Summerlin, Sazio in The Orleans, and BullShrimp in Green Valley Ranch. The company also runs the Cigar Bar in the JW Marriott and a full-service catering division.

As a consultant, Mauler has designed more than 100 facilities worldwide, about 70 percent of which are in Las Vegas. They include kitchens at the Treasure Island, The Mirage, Bellagio and Aladdin hotels.

Pulte Homes Inc., based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has operations in 44 markets nationwide. Under its Del Webb brand, the company is also a leading builder of age-qualified communities. The company has built more than 300,000 homes.

Real Estate home