Viking Range Corp. took a bunch of brand-new appliances to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas.
Turns out, the company is bringing some extra hardware home.
Three new products from Viking won first, second and third place to sweep the People’s Choice awards at the show, the kitchen and bath industry’s largest showcase.
“Everyone at Viking is thrilled about receiving these awards,” wrote Tim Tyler, director of marketing for Viking, in an email. “Everyone has been working hard over the past year developing and bringing these new products to market.”
The new Viking Professional French-Door Double Oven took top prize at the show, held Feb. 4-6. The awards were picked by attendees at the show, who voted on their favorite products.
Another product making its debut — the Viking 7-Series Range — took home second place. The company’s redesigned cooktops rounded out the sweep, finishing third.
“The show just really exceeded all of our expectations,” Tyler said. “The response was unbelievable from the press, the industry and the dealers. Everybody was so excited to see Viking there with all these new, innovative products.”
Among those taking a close look at Viking’s booth at the show were journalists from publications such as USA Today, Architectural Digest and Southern Living.
“We had some great magazines and publications come through,” Tyler said. “It was a great opportunity to introduce them to the new Viking projects.”
Tyler added that reviews so far have been glowing and that a video segment about Viking’s new products from the USA Today-owned Review.com was picked up by a number of local news TV stations across the country.
The company took more than 50 new products to the trade show, more than the company had ever taken before.
A number of the new appliances, including the French door oven, utilize technology from other Middleby Corporation brands.
Tyler said most of the latest Viking products are already in stores and that the 7-series stoves should go on sale starting in March.
Another new product — the Viking TurboChef high-speed oven — garnered considerable attention at the show and is set to go on sale later this year, Tyler said.
The oven, which Viking officials boast can cook a turkey in 40 minutes, utilizes commercial technology from TurboChef, another Middleby brand.
TurboChef manufactures the high-speed ovens for chain restaurants such as Starbucks and Subway. The Viking model will bring that same technology to the high-end residential market.
Tyler said the Kitchen and Bath Show gave Viking an opportunity to show off its Greenwood-made luxury products and reaffirm the company’s position as the leader in high-end kitchen appliances.
“The future is bright, and we all have a lot to be proud of,” Tyler said.
