Congratulations Mr. Wu

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Michele Obama and Jason Wu unveiled the dress she wore at the inaugural ball in a ceremony at The Smithsonian this morning.

Since I've met Jason Wu twice, this has me one degree removed from the first lady and two degrees separated from her husband. He's a man I'm still proud to say I voted for by the way. So congratulations Jason, it's a real thrill to see such talent succeed.

Hairy bikers?

The terrific Sarah Lloyd write the blog Kitchen Clarity and she mentions Beautiful Kitchens from time to time. Beautiful Kitchens is a British design magazine with a lively online presence. I like seeing what's going on in my profession in other parts of the world and Beautiful Kitchens is a great window into the K&B business in Britain.

British kitchens are familiar to this American set of eyes, but just different enough so that everything seems new. As a case in point, the editor made mention of something called Hairy Bikers World.

Hairy Bikers World is a cooking show from the BBC from what I can gather and it appears to be some kind of a cultural touchstone on that side of the Atlantic. It seems odd to me, but then again I'd hate to have any assumptions made about me based on the dreck that's on TV in the US.

So to all of my British friends and others in the know, what gives with Hairy Bikers World? Cultural touchstone or forgettable piffle?

It's a rebate program from Sub-Zero Wolf

Despite my numerous dalliances with other appliance brands, Sub-Zero and Wolf will always be my heart's desire when it comes to refrigeration and cooking appliances. They set the standard in the luxury appliance category and whether it's spoken or unspoken, they are who everybody else is competing against.

In keeping with the times (or maybe it's a sign of the end times) Sub-Zero and Wolf is running a rebate program worth up to $2500 through 30 September 2010.

How it works is fairly simple. Purchase a full-size built-in, integrated or Pro 48 refrigerator from Sub Zero and any size range, any size wall oven and any size rangetop or cooktop from Wolf and you'll get $1,000 in an instant rebate.

Then, buy up to six more Wolf or Sub-Zero products and get $250 in instant savings for each purchase for a maximum additional rebate of $1500. So in a fully-equipped Sub-Zero Wolf kitchen the maximum rebate available is $2500. The details on this offer are available on Sub-Zero and Wolf's website here.

Now that's what I call a throne room

Check out these bath fixtures from Florida's own Jemal Wright.

See the whole collection at Jemal Wright. What do you think? Is bathroom bling a good thing?

Would you ever?

I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.

from Modani