Cecilia Ercolino wanted an ultra-modern kitchen in the color of a fire engine. Actually, make that a red Ferrari. The cabinets would have a high-gloss lacquer finish with all the heart-quickening shine of the Italian sports car.

In her planning, Ercolino imagined the many guests with informed and demanding palates that she would entertain in the 1,100-square-foot kitchen. They would be fed yellow datterino tomatoes in chef-made dishes drizzled with Umbrian olive oil or scented by white truffles from Emilia Romagna. These and other foods would be enhanced by Italian wines -- Barbaresco, Barolo, Nebbiolo-- from Piedmont, Puglia, Tuscany and other regions of Italy.