Bosch and Cooking with Curtis Stone

Last month, I spent a whirlwind 24 hours in Hollywood, dining at a home in Hollywood Hills, cooking with and enjoying a multi-course meal prepared by Chef Curtis Stone, and learning all about Bosch home appliances.

The event was hosted by Bosch home appliances, known for their high performance German-engineered appliances and a market leader in dishwashers.

I could not have been more excited as this event was a dream come true. I’ve admired Chef Curtis Stone for years, watching him host various TV shows. And I spend so much of my free time looking at kitchen appliances–my idea of a fun time on weekends is to visit Pirch so I can get ideas for a future kitchen redesign.

Bosch went all out for the 24 hour getaway. First I had a car service so I didn’t have to make the drive to LA. It was the most relaxing trip to Los Angeles ever.

Then I checked into this lovely room at The London Hotel. So much space, just for me! The shower had dual shower heads. I previously thought the rainfall shower was my dream shower, but this was even nicer.

After a few hours of settling in and getting some work done, I then got to meet the Bosch team and other fellow bloggers. For the event, Bosch had rented a private home that directly overlooks the Hollywood sign. And they had their appliances installed in the kitchen of the home, so that Chef Curtis would be able to prepare a multi-course dinner, all using Bosch appliances

This house had the most spectacular view.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Photo courtesy of Bosch

You could see the Hollywood sign directly from the kitchen windows!


When we arrived at the house, Chef Curtis was there to greet us, passing around appetizers he and his team had prepared.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

We munched on passed bites, sipped on these beautiful cocktails, and took turns taking photos outside on the balcony.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Then we spent some time with Chef Curtis in the kitchen, breaking up into small groups to help making the passed appetizers. My group helped make the walnut focaccia.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

The dining table was so beautifully decorated. I got a lot of inspiration for my next dinner party.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Similar to his restaurant Maude, the menu focused on one seasonal ingredient, walnuts, that was interwoven into each course.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Walnut Soup with Cucumber and Smoked Trout Roe


This soup was a great way to start our meal and I loved how the spring ingredients stood out so beautifully.

Raviolo with Walnut Cheese, Spinach and Spring Garlic

Veal with Walnut Blanquette, Favas, and Morsels

Veal has never been a favorite of mine and given a choice I’d usually prefer something else. But this was the best veal I’ve ever eaten. It was prepared 3 different ways, showcasing great versatility. My favorite preparation was the pan seared one, which ate very much like a steak.

Toasted Walnut Cake with Banana Mousse and Caramelized Vanilla Ice Cream

With such a large group of diverse bloggers, there were also a lot of dietary restrictions. Throughout the evening, these allergies and restrictions were all taken into account and dishes were modified. However, only a single dessert was served and that dessert managed to account for every single dietary restriction. It was gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, and I may be missing some other ones.

And you know what? It was the highlight of the meal. Everyone loved the dessert and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days.

The cake was so fluffy and light. The chocolate walnut opened up to a delightful banana mousse filling.

Overall, this was a wonderful meal and one of the highlights of my year so far. I have a fear when meeting a celebrity chef that I might not enjoy their food, but this definitely was not the case here. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and will definitely be checking out his restaurants Gwen and Maude in the future.

The next day, we had a chance to explore the appliances in the kitchen a little more.

The appliance I was most excited for was the Built-In Coffee Machine. I start every morning with an espresso, which I make with my espresso maker so I was very excited by this built-in coffee maker with smart technology. This was so fun to play with!

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Photo courtesy of Bosch

There are 18 pre-programmed coffee drinks and you can also store up to 8 beverage preferences. You can enter up to 20 drinks at a time for the machine to prepare, perfect for a party! Even better, it has a Home Connect App, so you don’t even need to be in the kitchen to get your coffee started in the morning.

I’m all about smart technology and my house is filled with smart appliances, so I was definitely excited for this one and for all the other smart appliances Bosch has to offer.

I spent a lot of time admiring the Bosch Wall Oven with Home Connect. This smart oven makes cooking and baking so much easier. For instance, if you have a recipe that requires two different oven temperatures, you can program it to automatically adjust to the next temperature so that you don’t have to be constantly hovering over your oven.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Some of the ovens are even designed to open sideways! That makes so much more sense to me.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

We also were able to check out the steam convection oven which cooks food faster, healthier and all the while maintaining the moisture, color and nutrients too.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

The refrigeration collection has options for custom panels to match your kitchen. Some of the fridges also feature VitaFreshPlus drawer that helps keep produce fresh up to twice as long.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

We also learned about the impressive induction cooktop. I have a small portable one which I use, but this is basically a life-sized one. Induction cooktops are more powerful, heat more evenly and the stovetop stays cool so you won’t burn yourself.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

But to my surprise, the appliance I ended up being most excited about, was the dishwasher.

Photo courtesy of Bosch

Normally, the dishwasher is pretty boring to me. I grew up in an Asian family that used the dishwasher more as a drying rack. While I do use my current dishwasher, I spend more time keeping the dishwasher itself clean than using the dishwasher to help me clean my dishes. (I am slightly obsessed with keeping the dishwasher door clean.)

Whenever I use my dishwasher at home, I find myself re-washing a lot of the cleaned dishes because the dishwasher didn’t do a good job. Then I get frustrated and just end up hand-washing most of my dishes.

However, during my time with the Bosch team, I got to see their dishwasher in action, and I was so impressed. I love the design of their dishwashers. They have little additions that make a world of difference.

For example, the MyWay™ Rack. This adjustable rack can be moved up or down, allowing you to fit large pans, bowls. You can even put the rack at an angle, so that you can hold long stem wine glasses on the top rack.

The dishwasher we saw also features FlexSpace™ Tines. The tines are actually adjustable so you can accomade more items and unusually-shaped items.

I got to test out the dishwasher and I loved it! The racks had EasyGlide™ Wheels, so the racks slid open and closed easily, and it was easy to adjust the MyWay™ Rack. I also inspected the clean dishes and they were spotless.

After I came home, I spent nearly an hour talking to my husband about the wonderful world of Bosch dishwashers and how we needed to upgrade our dishwasher. (I am also working on convincing him that we need a Bosch washer and dryer as we have been looking to replace ours.)

We had one final goodbye meal before heading home. Lunch was at the legendary Lucques. We had an amazing meal and I definitely will need to come back with Mr. K. Also while we were dining, I spotted rapper and actor Common at the table next to us!

Overall, I had a wonderful 24 hour getaway in Los Angeles. It was such a memorable event, getting to meet Chef Curtis, meet fellow bloggers and interact with the Bosch team and some of their appliances.