A few weeks ago, after 4 years of loyal service, I said goodbye to my Ofyr.

I had my reasons for doing so, because I increasingly encountered some drawbacks.

Last year I also had a similar period but I still decided to keep him.

But now I have made the decision, and the next day it was picked up by a friend with a large family, ideal device as a family BBQ, so that will be fine.

An ofyr is an outdoor kitchen in itself. You can do a lot with it, and it has a huge coziness factor, because it is an added value compared to many other bbq devices.

And yet, I said goodbye to it.

So much for the story. Or so I thought.

Less than 2 weeks later we participate in the BBQ competition in Meetjesland, and there is also a stand of Caspero Design, a Belgian manufacturer of Ofyr-like appliances.

I still don't know if this has a general category name, but that will come in time. Let me call it a teppanyaki bbq.

These Caspero Design appliances stand out because on the one hand they are beautiful, and on the other hand they have a very nice and sturdy table around the appliance.

I am a total fan of the design, but that is always a sore point for me. If I can choose between more beautiful or more functional I will always choose the design, but that is another story.

We finish that race as Reserve Grand Champion. You already know that story.

But while everyone is packing, I am still recovering from all the emotions and start talking to the managers and creative gurus of Caspero Design.

My knowledge of Ofyr comes in handy and we start a conversation.

A conversation about many details and improvements. About design and ideas.

I am blown away.

All the things that could frustrate me a bit about Ofyr have been further developed at Caspero Design.

The variations are endless, which is definitely a plus, but can be a bit overwhelming at first.

What a nice conversation that was. From user to designer and developer. With space and feeling for extra ideas. With space for fantastic things in the future.

My enthusiasm must have been infectious because soon words like partnership and collaboration are mentioned.

And let me not be insensitive to that.

A few weeks pass and we keep in touch.

We make a deal.

I am allowed to try out and test the Caspero Design.

It has now been delivered and when it stood in my garden I was speechless.

Blown away again.

The construction, the finish, the possibilities... they seem endless.

But okay, not to be a fanboy right away, I'm going to test and be critical because that's the only way the product can improve. During our last conversation we already came up with a few things that could improve the experience a bit.

Because Caspero Design is a pure experience. More than any other teppanyaki bbq appliance. Sorry Ofyr Lovers. I'll explain why later.

“Do you want the fireplace too?” asks Peter (the creative guru).

“I've never used that before,” I stammer.

Without further ado, the chimney is unloaded.

That would also be the first thing I would test.

I am extremely grateful to Caspero Design for giving me this opportunity, so I will be cooking and testing a lot and writing down my findings.

It's officially summer and so #bbqlife is more accurate than ever, so let's get outside as often as possible, cook outside and eat outside.

With all the fun that comes with it.

BBQlife is good.

Greetings,

from a happy Tom

Caspero Design is giving me this device so I can use and test it. I didn't have to pay for it, so I have to legally say that this is a partnership.

In a next blog post I will write down my findings and where the further development actually lies that I talked about earlier.

You can now find photos of my cooking sessions on my Instagram account.

Be sure to visit their website: www.casperodesign.be