ACCLAIMED CHEF MARC VETRI, FOUNDER OF PHILADELPHIA’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VETRI FAMILY OF RESTAURANTS, SELECTS RESTAURANT-QUALITY BLUESTAR® EQUIPMENT FOR HIS NEW PRIVATE DINING ROOM AND DEMONSTRATION KITCHEN

(Reading, PA – July 19, 2014) – BlueStar® is proud to announce that Chef Marc Vetri, founder of Philadelphia’s critically acclaimed Vetri Family of Restaurants, and the company’s newest All Star Chef, has selected BlueStar® equipment for his new private dining room and demonstration kitchen on the second floor of his flagship restaurant, Vetri, in center city Philadelphia.

The new space allows large private parties to dine at the celebrated eatery, which was not previously possible at the intimate restaurant.  The venue itself evokes the same rustic charm and elegance as the main dining room but with the benefit of a dedicated kitchen, chef’s counter, dining space, and service staff.

The plan’s for Chef Vetri’s new space, which seats up to 16, are broad, and he says the space will be put to a number of different uses.  He plans to open it up to wine dinners, private events and even invite chefs from all over the world to cook and teach, as well as establish Vetri’s own cooking classes.

With the new test kitchen, Chef Vetri and his fellow culinary partners have a place to develop and explore new dishes and menus.  The hybrid of a commercial dining space with a decidely residential ambiance sparked a conversation about which cooking equipment could straddle both worlds seamlessly yet provide chefs with the power and versatility of a professional machine.  Vetri came down solidly on BlueStar®, a Pennsylvania-based company that manufactures professional equipment for the home and allows home chefs to replicate a restaurant-quality cooking experience in their own kitchens.

“BlueStar’s craftsmanship, durability and functionality really appealed to me.  They make superior products, and the fact they do it right in neighboring Reading, PA, makes it all the better.  The Vetri Family is always proud to support local businesses,” says Chef Vetri.

“My BlueStar® equipment gives me the control and versatility that I have in my restaurants.  It’s incredible to have a residential range that performs just like a commercial range and includes features like French Tops that I use in my restaurants.  It’s also a great teaching tool since our cooking class students can potentially use this same equipment in their own homes,” explains Vetri.

Handcrafted from commercial-grade steel, BlueStar® ranges are built to deliver restaurant-quality results at home.  The burners deliver 25,000 BTUs of high concentrated heat, ideal for searing and achieving an ultra-rapid boil.  BlueStar’s classic open burner design also ensures that heat is evenly distributed across the bottom of the entire pan, with no hot spots around the edges.  The available French Top allows for seamless zone cooking of multiple dishes, and the extra-large ovens easily fit commercial size sheet pans.

“BlueStar® is honored that Chef Vetri selected our equipment for this new space, and we are so pleased to work hand-in-hand with local chefs,” says BlueStar® President Michael Trapp.  “It’s a great fit; BlueStar® is the closest thing to true commercial performance at home, and the intimacy of this space combined with its interactive cooking experiences really can showcase the restaurant-quality performance available to the home chef.”

Chef Vetri customized his BlueStar® range to meet his personal cooking requirements and design sensibilities.  His 60-inch range features a French Top plus six burners.  To complete the package, he added a Salamander for high heat broiling and paired the equipment with a Pro-Line hood in stainless steel.  In addition to its performance features, every BlueStar® can be customized in any one of 750+ colors or finishes, and one can choose drop down or swing doors for the ovens; Chef Vetri selected Ruby Red and swing doors for his two extra-large ovens.

A Philadelphia native, Vetri spent his formative professional kitchen life in Bergamo, Italy, working alongside some of the region’s most noted chefs.  In 1998, he opened the fine-dining restaurant, Vetri, to universal acclaim.  In 2005, Chef Vetri won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.”  Chef Vetri launched Osteria in 2007, and Amis opened its doors in 2010.  Alla Spina, an Italian gastropub, followed in 2012.  2013 saw the debut of two more Vetri Family restaurants: Pizzeria Vetri and a second location of Osteria in Moorestown, NJ.  In 2014, Lo Spiedo is slated to open in Philadelphia’s up-and-coming The Navy Yard district.

Vetri is the author of Il Viaggio di Vetri and Rustic Italian Food.  He is currently working on his third cookbook, Mastering Pasta.  Outside of his restaurants, Chef Vetri is focused on his family and giving back to the community.  In 2009, he and business partner, Jeff Benjamin, created the Vetri Foundation for Children.  The foundation’s signature initiative, “Eatiquette,” is a school lunch reform program in which children experience the connection between healthy eating and healthy living.  The program includes 10 schools, and has served more than 300,000 healthy meals.

Handcrafted in Reading, PA since 1880, BlueStar® cooking products are designed for discerning home chefs who demand restaurant-quality results in their own kitchens.  The BlueStar® product line features high-performance gas ranges, cooktops, wall ovens and hoods.  BlueStar’s unique performance features include an open gas burner system that produces up to 25,000 BTUs of cooking power, precise 130 degree simmer burners, and oversized convection ovens with professional-grade infrared broilers.  Available in over 750+ colors and finishes, and with almost infinite configuration possibilities, BlueStar® premium cooking products offer virtually unlimited personalization options.  For more information, visit bluestar2016.wpengine.com