Barbara and George Oliver’s One-Of-A-Kind Kitchen
By Kristy L. Mason      

     Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray only wish they could cook in Barbara and George Oliver’s one-of-a-kind, custom-built kitchen. It took two creative minds and a lot of magazine clippings to take a vision of a gourmet kitchen and turn it into a chef’s dream at Smith Mountain Lake.     
     “Cooking is a lot of fun, but it’s all about having the right tools and enough space,” Barbara explained.      
     The kitchen, equipped with double cherry islands with granite countertops, encompasses 450 feet in the Oliver’s 4,650 square-foot home in Fox Chase. One island features a  beverage sink, ice maker, trash compactor and pull-out drawers built in, while the other serves as an eat-in area with bar stools. The soaring, elegant, white columns along the entry invite you into the main kitchen area, drawing your eye to view Underwood custom cabinets and sparkling dishes displayed in a lavish china cabinet. With tall, free-standing feet, the cabinets provide a dominant rustic appearance while complementing featured dishware in petite glass windows. Stainless steel shines on the quiet dishwasher, double convection ovens, an oversized refrigerator and a very rare pot filler faucet conveniently placed above an old-fashioned gas stovetop.       
     By blending several decorating styles to create an original look, Barbara and George agree the kitchen is both beautiful and functional. With a passion for providing hospitality to family and friends, Barbara loves to cook and make guests feel at home.      
     “We put a lot of thought into this kitchen,” she said. “About every element you could think of. For one year, I kept pulling ideas out of magazines. I wanted a place to entertain, decorate the home for the holidays and fill the columns with greenery and lights.      
      “It’s a gourmet kitchen. If you ever wanted to experience your full potential as a chef you could do it here. We have had four or five people at a time preparing food and still had plenty of space to work. Basically, you can be all you want to be chef-wise. My husband loves my cooking and says I need to cook three gourmet meals for him a day to get a good return on our investment.”        
     With an amazing kitchen and a passion to entertain guests, Barbara has found the perfect job as a Pampered Chef Director. She has owned her own business for six years, saying she was drawn to the career by the opportunity to cook and learn new recipes.      
      “I always loved to cook and even made some disaster meals when I was 18 and new at cooking,” she said.     
     “It’s always been a passion for me for as long as I can remember. With cooking, I love using gadgets and tools, and I decided I should become a consultant because I wanted more.”       
     George said Barbara felt right at home the minute she stepped into the kitchen after moving into their new home in April 2006.        
     “Once I saw my kitchen, I loved it,” she said. “I didn’t want to step out of it. It was really exciting and cool to see it all come together. I couldn’t wait to cook my first meal and use all my supplies.”      
     Barbara and George both love the convenience of the multi-use island to keep trash hidden away and to always have plenty of ice to take coolers out while enjoying the Lake. Yet among the many features, Barbara admits the pot filler is the most essential.       
     “The pot filler was so unique,” she said. “I have never seen one in a home before. It was new and different, and I like the idea of not having to carry a heavy pot of water around the kitchen.”       
     The first meal Barbara prepared in her kitchen was spaghetti while many of her kitchen supplies were still in boxes. “I just knew whatever we were having, we were boiling water,” she said, referring back to her favorite fixture.      
 
Among many delicious entrees Barbara now enjoys making in her new kitchen are Guacamole Black Bean Salsa, Chicken Enchilada Ring, and German Chocolate Cake. George said he enjoys Barbara’s dishes, especially her Texas Fajitas with hot, spicy flavor giving an authentic fresh taste.