Star Kitchen: Curtis Stone's Outdoor Kitchen
dave lauridsen, dave lauridsen 2015
When Curtis Stone and his wife, actress Lindsay Price, moved into their Hollywood Hills home in 2011, they became extra popular — and that's in large part because of the backyard, Curtis says. It has two things that guarantee a good party: a wood-fired oven and a pool. "The food's always good and the water's always warm," he says. The yard wasn't quite this spectacular when they found it. It came with the oven and a little sink, but Curtis has turned the space into a full-blown outdoor kitchen. He added a big worktable where he preps toppings for wood-fired pizzas, plus a plancha and a Big Green Egg grill. And he and Lindsay decorated a banquette where they can hang out with friends and watch the kids (sons Hudson, 4, and Emerson, 1) play in the yard. Curtis also dug out a rose garden and planted citrus trees just steps away, so if he wants to finish a dish with lemon juice, he just picks a lemon off the tree. "It reminds me what cooking is all about," he says.
dave lauridsen, dave lauridsen 2015
Garden Ingredients: The chef grows figs, sumac, passion fruit, clementines, lemons and Mexican limes in the garden beside the kitchen. "We use it all," he says. "It makes me a more creative cook."
Cool Cooler: Lindsay and Curtis repurposed a vintage French crab cooker as a wine bucket.
Sunday Dinner: The wood-burning oven needs a few hours to heat up, so Curtis uses it mainly on Sundays and Mondays, when he's off-duty from his Beverly Hills restaurant, Maude.
Handy Storage: To avoid tons of trips into and out of the house, Curtis stores knives, tongs and utensils in the island drawers.
Step Stools: These rustic wood stools give son Hudson a boost so he can see what his dad is cooking; they also double as extra seating.