There's a lot of mis-information out there about what "the code says." Some really distorted, or mis-understood stuff out there. I do think it's safe to say, in this case, that the "other guy" neither owns a copy of the NEC, nor went through a formal apprenticeship program.
The answer is: new kitchen (small appliance) circuits must be GFCI protected. A new kitchen needs at least two circuits. A GFCI receptacle may protect an unlimited number of receptacles "downstream" from it. Or, a GFI breaker may be used in the panel.
[This message has been edited by renosteinke (edited 07-30-2005).]
