Surjit Kalsi, a pioneer of professional-style ranges for the home, became a 2011 National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Hall of Fame inductee at the recent Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS).
John Morgan, VP of the NKBA and the driving force behind Mr. Kalsi’s nomination, Richard Bergstrom, CEO of V-A-H Marketing, introduced the 2011 NKBA Hall of Fame inductee at the ceremony.
”I am so humbled and so grateful,” said Kalsi. “I would like to thank Richard Bergstrom for nominating me and thank everyone at the NKBA for this high honor. They say that America is the land of opportunity and they are absolutely right. I struggled in India for 10 years and it didn’t happen. I left everything behind—my business, my beautiful house—just walked away and left the door open. And here, I was able to succeed. I believe there is no life without struggle. You struggle, fail and then develop the strength to get up, go on and succeed.“
Kalsi had already been in the appliance industry for several decades and was working as VP of engineering at U.S. Ranges when he accepted a challenge by Fred Carl, now of Viking Ranges, to bring the high-performance features of restaurant ranges into consumer kitchens. With that successful design project completed in 1985-86, Kalsi and Roberto Bernal founded Dynamic Cooking Systems (DCS). During the DCS years, Kalsi’s engineering skills allowed the new company to introduce exclusive burner systems, stainless-steel gas ranges, pro-style dual-fuel ranges, wall ovens and a high-end stainless-steel barecue. After selling DCS in 2000, Kalsi took a five-year hiatus and then joined his son Rich Kalsi in another engineering-focused appliance organization, Capital Cooking Equipment Inc.
