Fretz has the
recipe for success

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Lights, camera, action! There’s something going on at the western dead end of Woodhaven Road. Go west past the exits for Route 1 north and south and continue along Woodhaven Road, even though it looks as if you’re heading into the woods.
You’ll find the Fretz Corporation’s regional showroom and kitchen studio, where the luxury appliance distributor films segments for its cooking show The Fretz Kitchen, which has been televised on CN8 for six years.
"Unless you’re trying to find us, you won’t know we’re here," said Fretz marketing assistant Kathy Hackbart.
Award-winning and notable Philadelphia chefs are regulars on the television show. They include Georges Perrier, the man behind Le Bec Fin, Brasserie Perrier, Georges’ in Wayne and Mia in Atlantic City; Chris Scarduzio, a Perrier partner at Brasserie Perrier and Mia; Jean Marie Lacroix, of Lacroix at the Rittenhouse; and Walter Staib of City Tavern.
While Fretz has occupied its Northeast Philadelphia location since 1972, it was in 1998 that the company constructed and opened the Fretz Kitchen Studio as a venue to give consumers a firsthand look at the inventory of appliances prior to purchase. It also was a beneficial setting to train dealer personnel, attract private events and provide a stage for the chefs of Philadelphia.
The culinary seminars at Fretz debuted back then as the Great Chef Series and proved an instant success, with the first cooking demonstration, staged by master chef Georges Perrier, held in November 1998. As part of the mostly monthly series, renowned chefs participate in two-hour cooking presentations with live audience interaction. Profits from the fee to be part of the audience — it ranges from $50 to $80 per person — are given to charity.
The series will take a summer break in July and August, returning on Sept. 25 with culinary whiz Martin Hammond of the Fountain Room at the Four Seasons Hotel. More information can be found on the Fretz Web site as it becomes available.
While Fretz generally doesn’t see repeat audience members at the series, Hackbart believes that word of mouth is largely responsible for Fretz’s business success. Series visitors will tell their friends in the market for appliances that "you’ve got to go to Fretz," Hackbart added.
In 1999, the chef series won a Best of Philly honor, and the Fretz company made the move to television when it was approached to host short cooking segments on NBC 10. The following year, the corporation launched its weekend-morning, three-minute segments called The Kitchen with Philly’s Famous Chefs.
In 2001, Fretz made the move to CN8 after being approached by Comcast, and expanded the concept to a 30-minute show to air daily. The Fretz Kitchen airs locally at 5 p.m. weekdays on CN8. Nationally, the show’s telecast in other markets reaches more than 25 million viewers.
Half of the filming is done in Philadelphia and half in Fretz’s Columbia, Md., location.
According to Hackbart, filming of the thirty-minute segments is done during three days in January and three days in June or August. Generally, those days last from about 7:30 in the morning to 9 at night.
Most of the showroom’s customers find their way to Fretz through its Web site, authorized dealers, kitchen designers and interior decorators, according to Hackbart.
The biggest trend in high-end kitchens encompasses range tops, wall ovens and outdoor kitchen appliances.
"People want the luxury they have inside, outside this year," she said.
The showroom, with its 15 to 17 luxury kitchen vignettes, is open by appointment only from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
"It enables us to dedicate our time to customers," Hackbart said. ••
To schedule an appointment, call 1-866-987-2122 or visit www.fretz.com/showroom/philadelphia_showroom.html
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com