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If the European markets are any indication, the focus on global gourmet cuisine will continue to feed consumers' appetites for high-end professional kitchenware and tabletop. Trends toward stainless steel and a range of colors from reds to a seascape of blues will give retailers delightful focal points for merchandising displays well into 2005.
This season's trends, which are expected to extend into the coming years, include ice buckets, barware, beverage sets, napkin rings, salt and pepper shakers, coffee and tea, tapas, and fondue. Importers and buyers were hot on the trail of sourcing the best and brightest of these at Ambiente February 20-24 in Frankfurt, Germany. And kitchenware and tabletop manufacturers were definitely up to the challenge. The following is an overview of a few of the products and trends our editors discovered at the fair.

Colors & Cuisine
Leonardo translated the recent retro trends into 60's pop art by combining Bauhaus colors with geometrical squares and circles. The translations lend a modern edge to the 60's fun with shapes and styles still suitable for today's culinary and lifestyle trends. Color palettes for this collection include black and white mixed with primary reds, blues, and yellows. 60ies-checked comprises two square glass platters with rounded edges. Great for tapas and appetizers, it should appeal to both young shoppers and frequent entertainers.
Tapas, small plates, and tableware for entertaining were prevalent at Ambiente. And while they say trends are circular, a multitude of square shapes appeared at the fair. But these squares display a much more modern feel and couple soft blues and greens or basic whites with geometric patterns.
Seascape blues floated through iittala's showroom with deep natural sea-inspired shades adorning beverageware and decorative glass. Blueberry blues were introduced to core lines, bringing a smart sophistication to the table.
Portmeirion's previously launched Soho White collection is well worth mentioning again as new items were brought into it via the David Queensbeery and Martin Hunt designs. The line complements the way people live and eat as it offers a variety of shapes suitable for different cuisines from Italian to Asian. M-Code and Nightline (naturally featuring a black rim) were added to the range of 35 separate items that includes multifunctional bowls, tapas, an antipasto set, and even a vase.
The Table Duo, The Table Trio, and Table Quartet table dish sets from mono are perfect for entertaining as each has glass bowls sitting in neat stainless steel alloy stands. They may be used for salads and dips at buffets or filled with simple snack items. Your customers may also serve up snacks in Carl Mertens' new Liaison small bowl set with a polished stainless steel exterior and a satin finished interior. The two-bowl set has indentations that link the bowls together.
Lynns Concepts is heating up entertaining trends with a Mexican shot of Tequila -- a range of green tabletop and serveware jazzed up with a fresh border design.
Porcelain manufacturers also got on board the small plate trend as both Revol and Pillivuyt introduced fashionable options. Pillivuyt premiered Les Miniatures, a range of small dishes and serving pieces in solid white, while Revol launched a 7-piece line called Times Square with simple trianglar, square, and rectangular shapes that allow the user to mix, match, and layer innovative settings.
ASA's Tapas Collection features black and white dinnerware designed to mix and match, as well as a sushi line with Asian complements.
Koziol jumped into the entertainment trend with Pick Up, a flower pot-shaped appetizer fork holder, while its new Karim powdered sugar/cocoa shaker makes dressing a cappuccino a happy experience. The company also made news at Ambiente with the launch of their first kid's range. The line's gourmet element includes "come-to-my-party" products that include a sandwich box, a plate, a tumbler, a drink bottle, and a three-tiered stand. Colors are the right blend for the Echo Boom kids with strawberry, bubblegum, green apple, swimming pool, and white.

The Right Touch
Besides shapes and colors, textures and mixed mediums proved to be a statement at the fair. A born mixer, guzzini introduced new kitchen tools in yellow, orange, and blue color combinations paired with stainless steel. The sets include a fork, skimmer, ladle, spoon, and spatula all dispensed from a colorful plastic base. A youthful pattern called G-Smile puts those smiling little e-mail faces on porcelain espresso cup bodies and matches them with polycarbonate handles, saucers, and spoons.
Saleen presented new shapes in their colorful and durable placemats. Now in round and oval shapes, the polypropylene placemats are UV safe so they won't fade or mildew, and are heat resistant up to 195 degrees F.
Thomas from Rosenthal partnered with cookware manufacturer Spring to launch a new range of stainless steel cookware with matching porcelain serving pieces called Genio.
SCANPAN presented their Fusion CS5 cookware collection featuring five-ply construction with an aluminum core and a copper exterior. The 8-piece set includes a 10-inch fry pan, a 9-inch saucepot, an 8-inch saucepot, a 6.5-inch saucepot, and a steam insert.
Lodge Manufacturing launched Lodge Enamel featuring three items in three colors -- Patriot Red, Liberty Blue, and Apple Green. Included in the launch are two Dutch ovens (5qt. and 7qt.) and a two-quart oval casserole. Each features a stainless steel lid handle designed in a subtle "L."
Silicone remained popular, especially at the Mastrad booth where a variety of new items were introduced, including the Scoop & Press ice cream scoop and new potholders in the ORKA range, along with a 17-inch mitt, a series of trivets, and a two-piece silicone brush with a removable hollow handle that may be filled with liquid. Once reattached to the silicone brush, simply squeeze to make basting easier than ever.
Küchenprofi also introduced a silicone basting brush that features a stainless steel handle in addition to a silicone bottle scraper that is long and thin enough to reach inside bottles, such as a ketchup bottle, to scoop out every last bit.
Bormioli Rocco introduced Ring -- a fashionable blown glass coffee cup with a soft plastic ring for gripping. The thermal stress- and shock-resistant glasses come in two sizes and feature matching glass saucers. In addition to its line introductions, Bormioli Rocco launched a completely new company look with a new logo and packaging.
Magppie fused materials in its coffee collection, pairing porcelain with stainless steel. The stylistic and functional design house showed off great mug profiles -- oval-shaped porcelain coffee mugs with stainless steel handles.
Coffee and tea trends continue with WMF's Kult collection of matte finished
18/10 stainless steel accessories, including a jug for frothing with a Stay Cool hollow handle, a manual milk frother, a coffee tin, coffee cups, and a French press.
The TULIP teacup set, a trendy addition from JENAer Glas, pairs metal with glass. The tea brews in the strainer under the glass lid that later serves as a plate for the strainer. The saucers are made of brushed high-grade steel, yielding a nice contrast to the clear glass cup.
Bodum showcased their Granos espresso machine. The programmable automatic machine allows users to brew single or double shots that are either short or long. The machine features 19 bars of pressure, has a removable water tank that may be adapted to fit a standard liter of water, and also comes with a portafilter that is adaptable for single or double shots, as well as for use with pods.
iSi introduced their Thermo Whip, an insulated beverage dispenser that makes either cream or espumas. The stainless steel-lined dispensers keep their contents warm or cold for several hours.
FrancisFrancis! unveiled a new instructional CD for their X1, X3, and X5 machines. The CD may be used in stores for demonstrations and is included with every machine purchased. For those consumers who already own a FrancisFrancis! machine, the information may be downloaded from the company Web site.
Dualit showcased their Axis Cordless Coffee Percolator. Made from polished stainless steel, the percolator is fitted with heatproof handles and oversized nondrip spouts.
Leifheit showcased a variety of new kitchen scales under the Soehnle brand, including one that can be mounted to the wall or hung from a gadget rail. Also available was the Bretagne scale that measures as much as 10 pounds and as little as 1/20th of an ounce. Among the newest kitchen scale offerings from Salter was the Aquatronic Plus with a clock feature. Featuring a distinctive transparent display panel and super-large LCD digits that incorporate a 24-hour clock, the scale has an add-and-weigh feature and a stainless steel weighing pan.
simplehuman debuted a combination plastic and stainless steel dish rack with several detachable features, including an oversized utensil tray, a knife block, and a universal rail that houses cups or wineglasses.
Kaiser expanded its popular Deko Center with the introduction of the Deko System that presents the stainless steel cookie press guns and various forms all in one merchandiser. The customer may choose from a variety of discs that create different shapes. The gun also adapts to use the Kaiser decorating tips that are available in the Deko Center merchandiser.
Kuhn Rikon highlighted their innovative Gripper can opener that may be used to open any sized threaded cap, as well as smooth-sided or grooved caps. The opener's jaws securely grasp the cap and continue to do so even as the jar is being opened.
Totally Bamboo showcased its growing line of bamboo cutting boards, bowls, and plates. The company is introducing 20 new SKUs within the Hawaiian, South Pacific, California, Florida, and Chop Collections.
Zyliss introduced the Easy Spin salad spinner in two sizes. A new mechanism makes the spinning process easier and more efficient as the user simply pulls the handle to start the spinning process and when complete, presses a button to activate a disc brake.

The Spicy Side
Several manufacturers spiced things up with new spice rack offerings. Among the newest was a magnetic spice rack from Zevro that is mountable on the wall. Each stainless steel spice container comes with a magnet that adheres to the rack when hung or even to the refrigerator.
Emsa introduced a new spice carrier set that can be kept standing upright on the worktop, suspended from rail systems, or transported wherever needed, even outdoors near the barbecue. The dishwasher-safe spice jars complete with labels offer twist-off lids and include a special aroma seal function guaranteed to keep spices fresh.
The Cassia Spice Rack line from Trudeau includes eight- and 16-bottle spice racks ideal for organizing, storing, and displaying spices. A rotating carousel stand features chrome wire holders that display the spice bottles on an angle for easy access. Other features include a stainless steel finish, push button-activated dispensing caps for either shaking or pouring, and an opening in the rack's center that houses larger spice bags, such as those for bay leaves. The company also introduced a One-hand Mill with a revolutionary rotary ceramic grinder that is adjustable for desired grind size, from fine to coarse. The one-handed operation makes food preparation easier and its stylish design renders it ideal for placement on the dinner table.

Designer Fun
New conical-shaped porcelain sugar sprinklers from Ritzenhoff are fabulously kitschy with artists' creations on each model. The Ipanema Collection is sure to stir up your customers.
Komin Yamada, the designer who created global knives, perfected a sleek new stainless steel series for Rosendahl. The high-quality chromium molybdenum vanadium steel combined with repeated whetting produces razor-sharp kitchen knives.
New knives from mono also debuted at the fair. The fully forged stainless steel knives have block handles whose appearance betrays their ergonomic feel.
Melbourne-born Rhubarb made its American debut earlier this year and showed its hot red side again in Germany. The modern bone china company produces a wide range of dinner and decorative wares with a youthful influence. Besides its red and white trademark, it offers eye-soothing white, blue, and green pieces.
Whiteware was big news at the fair from ASA Home's foray into bone china with A Table in both coupe shapes and Asian squares to Porcel's white on white Napperon pattern influenced by Portuguese tablecloths that is partnered with a glassware line from Damaso.
Sleek designs from Magppie include a funky bowling set with a bowling ball ice bucket and a pin cocktail shaker. Magppie produces a range of Pantone colors on its stainless steel, adding another element to their stainless steel designs.
New barware from blomus included fresh new wine stands Opold and Cino made of stainless steel and complemented by a new Cino drip catcher.
Serve up the perfect wine in finely crafted glassware from Schott Zwiesel. Known for its Tritan brand formulation, the no-lead crystal holds the world's highest brilliance and transparency ratings. Its Enoteca line is a series of 21 drinking glasses that allows connoisseurs to experience the true essence of any wine. Each mouth-blown glass is uniquely created for its own beverage from sherry to Riesling to Burgundy.
Masini makes the art of decanting wine truly beautiful with a mixed-media stainless steel and glass decanter. The decanter's base is weighted with stainless steel shaped into a conical form, which allows the decanter to lie on its side without spilling.
By partnering its production of Sicilian-created ceramics bearing hand-painted designs with advanced industrial techniques, Italian firm Caleca continues bringing to market a line of durable, design-oriented tabletop. New patterns include "Romance" -- a delicate floral pattern with pink accents. Caleca designers wanted to be sure the American market is aware their products are still available regardless of recent distribution changes.
And speaking of distribution, Lipper International's former Blue Danube line (circa 1951) is now available through Portmeirion.
Fire up the grill with eva solo's new Barrel Grill, an innovative stainless steel grill with an interior coal bucket that may be easily removed for simple cleaning. The grill top can double as a table atop support legs that are sold as accessories.
A Triangle grater from Hill Metallwaren makes grating a snap with a plastic backing that holds the zest in place when grating lemons or ginger. Users simply unsnap the stainless steel grater portion for a quick release of product and an easy cleanup.