Canucks ditched the frosty weather to warm up to foodservice equipment innovations at the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show in California last week. The biennial tradeshow, which was held Feb. 19 to 21 at the Anaheim Convention Center, featured equipment and supplies for food prep, cooking, storage and table service from 500 foodservice equipment suppliers.
The show was proof combi-ovens and rapid-cooking equipment continue to win attention, as various new cook-to-order ovens and accessories were on display. According to Manitowoc reps, future applications may migrate to the front-of-house with easy-to-use interfaces and smallwares with reduced cleaning and maintenance.
Meanwhile, there’s a wave of innovation on the beverage side — from slow-melting ice cubes in various shapes and sizes to add dimension to top-shelf drinks to minimally designed beverage coolers. The category is also home to smart blenders with USB technology, allowing operators to easily program and share recipes. And, smaller footprint restaurants are dictating the need for sleeker, tinier, modular equipment, which was also a trend at the show.
Of course, the idea of sustainability was intricately woven through new product offerings, from Energy Star-rated equipment to machines designed to reduce the volume of waste generated by restaurants and limit the impact on the environment.
The next NAFEM Show will be held Feb. 9 to 11, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL . In the meantime, check out what was on display this year.
