Star Kitchen: Marc Vetri

Chef Marc Vetri has four Italian restaurants, but his home kitchen in a renovated 1800s Philadelphia townhouse might as well be his fifth. It was built for cranking out big meals for friends and family, with an enormous marble island, two sinks, a 60-inch Wolf range with a grill and flat top, an industrial espresso machine and even sparkling water on tap.

Marc has a serious espresso habit: He drinks five or more shots per day. "I'm not a caffeine junkie; I just love the flavor," he says. He uses single-serving packets of imported Italian Miscela d'Oro espresso ($12 for 20; amazon.com) in this Grimac machine, the same one he has at some of his restaurants.

The chef's three-tap restaurant-grade water dispenser is his favorite appliance. It pours room-temperature, cold and sparkling water, carbonated by a tank in his basement. "I don't have to deal with bottles or anything, which is great," he says.

The island is the center of activity in Marc's kitchen, but the 2.5-ton beast wasn't easy to install. He had to run metal beams through the floor and into the basement to support the weight of the 11-foot, 2-inch-thick slab of Vermont Danube marble.

Marc cooks with a lot of olive oil, and he's particular about how he stores it. He keeps extra bottles in a wine fridge under his island. The fridge keeps the oil fresh longer, he says.