The Annual Tour of Kitchens

This year’s event saw the return of a small army of “tourists”

The Coral Gables Community Foundation’s Tour of Kitchens, now in its 14th year, has become a Gables signature lifestyle experience. This year’s February tour was kicked off by Celebrity Chef Donatella Arpaia, the new culinary force behind NOMA Beach at Redfish, and included visits to 10 homes in the Gables. Years built ranged from 1938 to 2021, with locations from Venetia Avenue in the north to Santurce Avenue in the south. All were volunteered by their residents for public viewing by more than 800 visitors who attended this year, helping raise funds for the culinary program at Coral Gables High School and for the Foundation’s Community Giving and Scholarships programs. 

In addition to the 10 homes, two other locations — the Belmont Village Discovery Center and The Village at Coral Gables — provided bites and beverages, along with two dozen food stations provided by local restaurants such as Clutch Burger, TUR Kitchen, La Taberna Giralda, Threefold Café, Mamey by Niven Patel, and Vinya Table. A stunning array of sponsors also participated, from Mosaicist, MG Developer, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and EWM Realty to Coral Gables Trust, Baptist Health South Florida, and Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables. Here we present the kitchens from four of the homes. 

2521 Anderson Rd

The three-story townhome of Joy Spillis Lundeen was built in 2019 and sits in the middle of the Beatrice Row, a project of MG Developer that won the Addison Mizner Award by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. The kitchen and dining area of the residence share one large space, adjacent to the exterior terrace with its outdoor kitchen area. Features include a six-burner range with single oven below; Thermador microwave, refrigerator, and freezer; Miele combi-steam oven; stainless steel sinks by Elkay and Kohler; and an outdoor grill with double gas burners by Fire Magic.

411 Palermo Ave

This single-story home of Joshua Brandfon and Alyssa Krop-Brandfon was built in 1948, but renovated and expanded during the last two years by Debowsky Design Group. The new indoor and outdoor kitchens were created to provide easy access to varied living and dining areas. The indoor cooktop, undercounter ovens, and microwave are all by Wolf, with a Sub-Zero side-by-side refrigerator-freezer and an integrated dishwasher by Bosch. The outdoor kitchen uses a DCS grill and side burners, a Delta undercounter refrigerator, and a granite countertop from Doral Stone.

6201 Riviera Dr

Built in 1955, this single-story residence is the home of Laurie Weiss Nuell, who purchased the home in 2009 and decided last year to renovate the kitchen. A large central island now defines the space with its dual-level Quartzite countertop surface, while the perimeter is surrounded by custom wood cabinets painted in dark blue and white. Among the appliances are a six-burner gas cooktop and a French door refrigerator-freezer by Jenn Air; double ovens by Viking; a stainless-steel deep double-bowl sink by Ruvati Sinks; and a stainless-steel exhaust hood by Vent-a-Hood.

5015 Orduna Dr

This home, built in 1951, abuts one of the original 1925 Coral Gables canals, designed by city founder George Merrick to create an “American Venice.” The freestanding island with a honed Carrara marble countertop is surrounded by custom cabinets in oak laminate finish, made and installed by Hölz Home Design. The kitchen and surrounding rooms have wood plank flooring of white oak. Appliances include a six-burner electric cooktop by Kitchen Aid; an under-counter [island] wine cooler by Newair; and double ovens and French door refrigerator-freezer by LG.