iSi Celebrates 50 Years of Inspiration
with New Product Introductions at
The International Housewares Show
Chicago, 2014
by Guest Contributor, Chef Louisa Chu
iSi’s Inspiring New Products for 2014 at the International Housewares Show in Chicago. Pictured: (left to right): iSi Culinary Inspirations Cookbook, iSi Sodamaker Classic,iSi Dessert Whip Mini, iSi Dessert Whip Plus
2014 is an exciting year for iSi as they celebrate “50 Years of Inspiring Food” and the establishment of the iSi brand. The iSi story is an exciting one to tell, which was proudly expressed throughout yet another stunning Booth at the 2014 International Home & Housewares Show (IHHS) in Chicago.
Several “back by popular demand” products were introduced, reinforcing the history of iSi’s inspiration, experience, innovation and creativity in cuisine.
New Products Showcased (Available Fall, 2014)
The iSi Sodamaker Classic was the most awe-inspiring new product on display, captivating visitors at first glance with its Mad Men-esque antique/retro design. Although the iSi Sodamaker Classic looks like a mesh seltzer collectible on the outside, there’s new technology within, most notably a lightweight high-pressure resistant BPA-free PET bottle, and an advanced stainless-steel riser tube which produces a gentle, even flow of fresh soda water, every time.
Also on the new product podium: iSi’s hip & redesigned lever-handled iSi Dessert Whip Plus and iSi Dessert Whip Mini. Both products feature fun & playful “zebra-patterned” black or white die-cut, removable silicone sleeve, providing the user with a more comfortable grip on the Whipper (and, adding a trendy-looking aesthetic!). This classic favorite has also been modified from its original aluminum bottle to a new dishwasher-safe stainless steel bottle. The clever & creative look of this product alone takes iSi to the next level, which I like to call “iSi 2.0”.
And to put iSi’s products to use, the new Culinary Inspirations cookbook provides a wealth of inspiring new recipes for the professional and home chef alike. Each day, I served a variety of food and beverage recipes from the book to let customers taste a bite of iSi inspiration for themselves!
Celebrity Chefs & Industry Leaders who visited our iSi Booth
Long-time pals: Chef Chris Cosentino & Louisa Chu catching up on new iSi products & techniques at our booth.
Over the last few years, our iSi Booth has become exceedingly popular, considered as a “must visit” Booth at the IHHS Show. Our daily menu of innovative iSi food and drink recipes attracted several customers and friends, including Top Chef Masters winner and Celebrity Chef Chris Cosentino, PolyScience President (and inventor) Philip Preston, and Chef José Andrés.
El Bulli’s Ferran Adrià was in town all week, using iSi Whippers at Press events around Chicago, and as homage, our menu was crafted with a variety of simplified modern recipes that home chefs can make, too.
- A Modernist Ménage:
ContemPlate Founder Christhoph Milz, Chef Louisa Chu, iSi North America, Inc. President & CEO Rick Agresta, and PolyScience President Phillip Preston
An Homage to iSi’s History
This was my fifth year as iSi’s show chef, and incidentally Adria’s twentieth anniversary in discovering the technique of making iSi espumas, but iSi’s 149th year. That’s right; the company was originally founded by Karl Fischer-Pochtler in 1865, a fact literally engraved at the top of the new iSi Sodamaker Classic – see below.
iSi’s Rich History Spans back to our Founder, Carol Pochtler, who began producing siphons in 1865. The company, now is in it’s sixth generation, is directed by
Chairman & CEO of the iSi Group, Mag. Christian C. Pochtler
The Most Popular Recipe of the Show: Flash-Frozen “Espresso” Ice Cream Sandwiches
Inspiring food: Espresso Foam dispensed from the iSi Gourmet Whip, flash-frozen on a PolyScience Anti-Griddle, then sandwiched between two halves of a donut hole. What’s not to love?
For my Edible Espresso 2014 Edition, I flash froze espresso cream (Kalona Super Natural whipping cream and Monin Espresso syrup) on a PolyScience Anti-Griddle, and sandwiched the frozen espresso bites between local Bridgeport Bakery doughnut holes. It was coffee and donuts in one bite – an adult afternoon snack!
A close-up of the iSi Gourmet Whip & PolyScience Anti-Griddle in action
Although the “Flash-Frozen Espresso Ice-Cream Sandwiches” were the most popular & talked about recipe of the IHA Show, we rotated a different menu of both food & drinks each day.
iSi Beverages: From Carbonation to Foams & Rapid Infusion
Jenna Murray and Star-Bartender Cristiana DeLucca of Chicago’s Back Bar
with their El Bulli-inspired Hot Frozen Ginger Fizz mocktails.
Making her debut as an iSi mixologist, award-winning bartender Cristiana DeLucca of Chicago’s famed “Back Bar Project” (above right) served Hot Frozen Ginger Fizz, her take on a signature Ferran Adria/El Bulli cocktail. Cristiana’s interpretation: a warm lemon meringue foam over an iced fizzy ginger lemonade.
IHA fell over St Patty’s Day this year, so Cristiana made us
fizzy green drinks to celebrate!
See You Next Year!
In what has become an IHA tradition, we take a group shot at the close of each year’s Show. This year, iSi North America’s President & CEO, Rick Agresta, holds up the clear winner of this year’s show: the iSi Sodamaker Classic, available this fall.
iSi’s Annual IHA Tradition:
A Group Shot at the End of the Show
Post and photo by iSi North America | PUBLISHED: April 13, 2014
