Designed by architect Ole Scheeren for grocery store chain Dean & DeLuca, STAGE is a chef-led eatery that “celebrates food as a profound cultural and social experience”.
Inspired by theatre, a kitchen comprised of two horizontal volumes of mirrored stainless steel is placed in the center of a space. As the focal point, customers are invited to observe the preparation and serving of food.
“Food – its creation, presentation and enjoyment – is one of the most important shared human experiences,” said Scheeren. “However, in this instance we are working at the one end of the spectrum that is by definition the least social: fast food. I conceived STAGE as a social magnet, as a spectacular futuristic showpiece that attracts and brings people together and encourages interaction between the people making and the people consuming food. In this way it has a fundamental social and human ambition.”
‘Food is a fundamentally social thing,’ stated Scheeren. ‘In my architecture, I’m generally interested in how space can support and inspire communal behaviour. The idea of STAGE was to celebrate food and create a stage for food that will be served but, at the same time, create a stage for the people who both make and consume the food. It’s for people to come together, a social catalyst. It’s a freestanding object that people can congregate around; they can meet up and watch the preparation of the food itself.’
“I wanted to elevate staff to not simply be mechanical makers but in a way actors that perform in a play – and in a way where they then join with their audience or the customer in that spectacle of making, offering and consuming,” added Scheeren.
STAGE also features a multi-layered food display system that is fitted with concealed heating and cooling units.
“My idea was to create food as a landscape, to create food as a topography, a system of peaks and valleys, a drama in itself,” noted Scheeren.
Dean & DeLuca STAGE has opened in the Meatpacking District of New York City. Menu items such as sandwiches, bowls, and beverages are being served.
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