Make no mistake: when homeowner Ajai Sehgal is behind the 60-square foot island in his Osoyoos home, he’s the only chef in his kitchen. “I have a number of sous chefs,” he laughs. “My wife
is one of them, and I sometimes enlist my mom and the kids as well. All our friends become part of the family—and I have no trouble putting them to work on the other side of the island.”
“Eatertaining”—a term first coined to describe Benihana-style Japanese chefs who sliced and diced meats, flipped pepper mills in the air and prepared the evening’s meal for the entertainment of their restaurant guests—has found its way to the home front with kitchens that are designed to accomplish much the same. Ajai Sehgal can spend hours preparing his meals, so why wouldn’t it be a family affair? In this Robert Mackenzie-designed kitchen, the chef’s stove faces his guests so he’s no longer isolated. The prep island becomes the stage from which he chats, chops and socializes with everyone. Guests aren’t shuffled off to the formal living room—they relax on sofas right in the kitchen, or roll up their sleeves and chip in with the meal prep.

By Anicka Quin
Photos by Evaan Kheraj

The Hot Seat
"Inspired by the homeowner's favourite restaurant in their hometown of Woodinville, Washington, the big forno fireplace in the centre of the egg-shaped table creates a focal point while opening up the table to uses beyond just dining. "It's used for eating, card games, doing crafts, puzzles, et cetera. We live in that room," says Sehgal.

Make It Big
Sehgal's reputation as a renowned astronomer (his home observatory draws visiting students and guests) means that this kitchen needed to be designed to host a gaggle of budding sky watchers. Everything about this room is big, from the double-door GE refrigerator to the double ovens to the 12-seater kitchen table to the walk-in pantry. The house is located at the top of a mountain (all the better to see the stars), so there’s no such thing as a quick jaunt to the corner store. "The corner store is an hour-long trip," says Sehgal.

Centre Stage
Not all roads lead to Rome—in
this house, all rooms lead to the kitchen: the indoor courtyard, garage, wine cellar, outdoor patio and pool all radiate around this central hub so that the chef is never too fa removed from the action. Or, rather, that guests aren’t too far removed from the action in the kitchen.

Drinks All Around
Ask Sehgal what ingredient he can't live without, and he doesn't hesitate: "Red wine for sure. Any sort of Italian cooking I do, I double the amount of wine that the recipe asks for." And like any good eatertainer, Sehgal always has a bottle on hand to enjoy with dinner. To store his growing collection of Okanagan wines— Burrowing Owl is a crowd favourite—a 6,000-bottle wine cellar is just down a few stairs from the kitchen. When it's time for post-meal clean up, he invites his guests to gather round the kitchen's bar area for an after-dinner drink. Colour is Key Mackenzie's rustic yet elegant colour palette features warm cherry cabinetry, granite counters, a charcoal metal hood on the forno and cool grey ceramic floors.

Indoor Outdoor
The kitchen is designed to open up to the out of doors in the summer, no matter the weather. One side opens to the patio and the pool, and for windy nights, the kitchen connects to an enclosed, open-sky courtyard. Guests are drawn to the two-way fireplace that’s shared with the indoor living room.