Initiative provides tools, tips, and inspiration for families to start cooking again

Wolf Appliance, Inc., the industry leader in premium cooking equipment, announces the launch of its Reclaim the Kitchen initiative. A long-time believer in the richness of people coming together to prepare and enjoy meals, Wolf's goal is to make the process easy and accessible, enabling anyone who wishes, to experience the benefits of reclaiming the kitchen. Award-winning author and chef Kathleen Flinn is teaming up with Wolf to help motivate families to put down the remote, avoid takeout, and cook at home more often by providing them with simple tools to get started.

"America is in the middle of a cooking crisis," said Flinn. "Cooking has evolved into something of a spectator sport. Someone once confessed to me that they eat Tuna Helper while watching Gordon Ramsey. I want to help teach the world to cook and to foster a sense of confidence throughout the process. Through my partnership with Wolf, we will give families the tools to help them reclaim their kitchens."

In 1900, 98% of meals were enjoyed in the home. Currently, that number is now less than 50%. Americans also spend less money at the grocery store now than in any other time in history, and a mere 31 minutes a day cooking. Reclaiming the kitchen isn't a complicated or time-intensive process. In fact, one simple family meal a week might just be the perfect place to start. Wolf has outlined three simple steps to help Reclaim the Kitchen.

• Plan your meals. Find a meal-planning app or a website that fits the family's needs, and incorporate it into day-to-day planning.
• Celebrate the goodness of food. Buying and preparing fresh food can make even the simplest meal absolutely delicious.
• Cook together. Set aside "screens-off" time, and spend time with one another while helping out in the kitchen.

"Our company itself is in its third generation of family ownership; the importance of family has been clear to us since the very beginning," said Jim Bakke, president and CEO of Sub-Zero and Wolf. "We believe in the many benefits of families coming together to share moments and create memories over delicious food. By re-establishing the kitchen as a central gathering place and providing the necessary tools for easier meal planning and preparation, Wolf can help families achieve those benefits."

A video spearheading the Reclaim the Kitchen program visually expresses the sharp decline in family cooking at home, and emboldens families to begin again. The accompanying website, ReclaimTheKitchen.com, arms people with inspiration, tips and resources to excite and motivate them to keep those resolutions, including some of the most popular Wolf recipes and a library of useful links tailored for home chefs of all skill levels.

"The kitchen is the heart of the home," said Michele Bedard, vice president of marketing for Sub-Zero and Wolf. "Unfortunately, as our schedules become busier, we begin to spend less time there as a family. ReclaimTheKitchen.com provides the resources needed to help inspire and empower you to start cooking, and then reap all the benefits that come from cooking and being together as a family."

A third-generation family-owned company, Sub-Zero, Inc., formed Wolf Appliance, Inc., in 2000, establishing the brands as corporate companions and kitchen soul mates. Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances are manufactured in the United States using only premium-quality materials that are proven to stand the test of time. For further information, or to reach a Wolf distributor in your area, please visit subzero-wolf.com.

Kathleen Flinn is the author of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and The New York Times bestseller, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, a memoir-with-recipes about her experiences leaving the corporate world to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She's continued to write and cook for more than 25 years, winning awards like the 2012 American Society of Journalists and Authors Award and being featured in a variety of publications.