Moritz Putzier, an emerging German designer, creates a table that has everything you could ever need to enjoy a full meal.

“Back to tomorrow, dining culture through the change of time” was the title of Moritz Putzier’s thesis, which he presented at the University of Arts Bremen in April of last year. Nine months later, the newcomer from Munich – who cut his teeth with Ingo Maurer and Mathias Hahn – took first place in the Pure Talents Contest at IMM Cologne, Germany’s annual furniture fair.

The Cooking Table concept is simple: a solid oak table, with powder-coated metal trestle legs, integrates all of the necessary tools for enjoying a meal from start to finish. In addition to brass gas burners that click into the pull-apart table, plus a handy rail for towels and utensils, Putzier thoughtfully incorporated a stool for sitting or leaning, along with ceramic containers whose wooden lids double as cutting boards. While the focus on food and cooking hardly represents a new trend, the notion of taking it back to basics just might be the most innovative idea to come out of the kitchen industry for some time. ­