Anne Milneck’s renovated home kitchen is equal parts testing lab and family hub

You might not be surprised to hear that when the Red Stick Spice Company staff gathered at owner Anne Milneck’s home for a holiday party last year, it was an evening filled with dining on lots of delicious dishes. But what’s a little more surprising is that at one point in the night, 15 employees of the gourmet spice and tea shop found themselves packed inside Anne’s new pantry, casually hanging out beside the coffee maker and leaning against the cutting boards.

The ability of this storage space to accommodate the same number of people as an NBA team roster is proof that this kitchen renovation project—much like the meals created in Red Stick Spice’s popular cooking classes—turned out just right.

“This has been the greatest gift,” says Anne of the pantry, which was also one of the most practical additions to the 1972-built home she shares with her husband Greg. The Milneck family had lived here for 22 years before they began a renovation project with help from architect William Powell and design professional Carol LaCour of Monochrome.

The new kitchen features chef-worthy appliances from Monogram, expanding upon Red Stick Spice’s status as a Monogram trade partner and Monogram Experience Kitchen. For her own home, Anne wanted to put plenty of power in her meal prep experience. “BTUs of burners mattered to me, and they deliver,” she says. “We also do almost everything on convection, and their convection engineering is superior.”

The culinary star of this kitchen is a 48-inch dual-fuel, six-burner range with a griddle. A pair of electric ovens—one that neatly fits a 9 x 13-inch pan and one more than double that size—means Anne can bake just enough frozen cookie dough for herself and Greg or can prepare a full holiday spread for their adult children, grandchildren and extended family. The Monogram appliance lineup in this kitchen also includes a dishwasher, refrigerator/freezer, wall oven and warming drawer, and ice maker, as well as drawer refrigerators in the pantry and a wine fridge in the hallway.

But blank space is as important to Anne’s culinary process. To that end, her 9-foot-long kitchen island provides a 6½-foot uninterrupted stretch of countertop that conveniently ends at the sink and trash can. “Every cook needs a long expanse of countertop,” she says. “When your counter is broken up by sinks and appliances, your workflow is interrupted.”

The surfaces in the kitchen, including the leathered-finish Taj Mahal quartzite countertops and large-format porcelain tile floor, were planned with real life in mind. “I told Carol that there would be turmeric spills and red wine happening,” Anne says. “I am very messy, very rough in the kitchen, and I needed finishes that would be durable.”

One corner of the kitchen houses a “baking garage” in which Anne stores her food processor, a stand mixer and two turntables of extracts and Red Stick Spice blends. A nearby corner cabinet houses 45 jars of spices, while a pull-out space near the range is home to olive oils and vinegars. And of course, there’s that dream pantry—equal parts storage, prep space and, apparently, conversation area for parties.

The new kitchen layout designed by LaCour also gives Anne a seating area opposite the cooking area. “It’s been a game changer,” Anne says of the design. “My family wants to be in the kitchen with me, and, honestly, most of the time, they’re in the way! … The seating area gives my family a place to land and allows me to visit with them while I cook.”

This article was originally published in the March 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.