An outdoor kitchen is masonry first and kitchen second. Under the stone face is a block core; under the block core is a patio or slab carrying real weight; and under that is the same base and drainage logic as any other hardscape. Decide those layers well and the kitchen outlives every appliance bolted into it.
Placement is the first real decision. Close enough to the house that carrying food is not a hike; far enough, and oriented so, that smoke doesn't roll into the doorway; and on ground where a level surface can actually be built — on East Tennessee lots that often means the kitchen and a retaining wall are one project, not two.
The masonry core is what separates a built kitchen from a rolled-out cart. Block construction carries countertops and grill weight without complaint, stands through winter without a cover, and takes stone, brick or veneer as a finish. Openings for appliances are formed to the appliances — which is why choosing the grill BEFORE the build starts matters more than most people expect.
A fire feature nearby — a fireplace or a fire pit with a seating wall — is the natural companion; it is what keeps the space in use past sunset and well past summer. Built from the same materials, it reads as one place rather than two installations.
Outdoor kitchens and outdoor fireplaces — block cores, stone and brick finishes, and the patio underneath, planned as one build — are part of the ten services at Garcia's Hardscape. Call (865) 314-3287 to talk one through; estimates are free.