Coverings Show

There are three main events worldwide each year dedicated to the ceramic tile and natural stone industry. Cersaie, Cevisama and Coverings.

In Italy, Cersaie, held in Bologna, Italy, is the 36 year old major Italian trade fair for ceramic tile and natural stone. In Spain, Cevisama, held in Valencia Spain, is the 36 year old Spanish ceramic tile industry’s major annual trade fair. And in the United States, Coverings, held in rotating locations, is the nearly 30 year old preeminent event for the tile and natural stone industry in North America. These 3 events showcase the latest and most cutting edge designs, materials, colors, installation techniques and tile and stone equipment.

This year Coverings was held in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2017, I was selected as one of their Rock Stars. The Coverings Rock Stars – an Emerging Leaders Program – honors the best and brightest young talent in the tile & stone industry. Since its conception, the program has recognized dozens of young leaders who have connected at Coverings through mentorship and networking opportunities. The program underscores Coverings mission to support the growth and success of the industry by recognizing top-notch talent and fostering networking and educational opportunities. It is a great honor and experience last year in Orlando, Florida. This year I was invited back for the induction of the 2018 class of Rock Stars. It is so encouraging and inspirational to see the rising leaders in the industry and make new connections.

But back to the actual Coverings show…It was held at the Georgia World Congress Center and featured over 9 miles of the latest products, trends and tools from over 1,100 of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers. There is a strong presence from North America, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Brazil businesses. There are also continuing education seminars and the great opportunity to make connections with new businesses and say hello to your current network.

This year I noticed several trends I wanted to share with you. First was the large display of plank tiles. In varying sizes and colors, this wood plank trend is not going anywhere! There is also a lot of large format tile-48”x48” specifically but even larger as well. Texture, texture, texture-that is the name of the game.  Tiles just screaming for you to reach out and touch them. I also saw a lot of small 3D tiles. And plenty of angular, linear shapes and designs. I love tile and natural stone and the endless possibilities and can’t wait to use some of the products I saw in some upcoming projects. Questions? Email me at Jessica@webbercoleman.com

Ice Cooking

My mouth dropped open when I read about this newest form of cooking the other day and I just had to share it with you. We’ve had a lot of great new appliance introductions to the industry in the last few years such as induction cooking and steam ovens. Recently Miele announced their newest oven: the Dialog Oven. It looks like the traditional oven complete with a touch screen, however, it is much different.

At a recent trade show in Berlin, the Miele team demonstrated exactly how the Dialog Oven worked by cooking a piece of raw cod fish in a surprising way: inside of a block of ice. The chef showed the raw fish sitting inside the ice, which was then covered with a top and placed in the oven for nine minutes. After that time, they took out the perfectly intact ice, removed the top and revealed a steaming hot, thoroughly cooked fish fillet. While not many of us will find ourselves cooking with ice, here’s another example of what the oven can do.

Take a traditional German meal of veal, vegetables and potatoes. Instead of preparing each of these components separately and cooking them at different times or temperatures like in a conventional oven, all of the elements were placed inside of the Dialog Oven at the same time. After 30 minutes, the chef removed the dish to reveal that the veal was evenly cooked through and the vegetables and potatoes were cooked just enough and not overdone.

This method of cooking is possible with electromagnetic waves. The Dialog Oven features a modular unit that generates electromagnetic waves in a specific frequency range and distributes these in the oven with two antennas. As the molecules in different foods are arranged in different ways and even rearrange during the course of cooking, the technology provides the Dialog Oven with feedback on the amount of energy that has been absorbed by food, and the oven targets the right foods and responds. This is how different foods are detected and cooked accurately. Another advantage of the oven is that food is cooked volumetrically; a filet of meat is for instance cooked uniformly from the edges right through to the core. In a conventional oven, this is much more difficult since heat travels from the outside in. In the Dialog Oven, electromagnetic waves ensure the food is cooked from the inside out.

Since cooking with electromagnetic waves does not brown the surfaces of food, bread can be baked entirely without a crust. For a classic loaf of bread and the roasted aromas in meat, the oven technology always combines with radiant heat.

The oven first launches in Germany and Austria. While you may not see this oven in your neighbor’s house for a while, this is definitely something to keep your eye on. Questions? Email me at Jessica@webbercoleman.com