At this year’s NAFEM Show, held in Orlando, Fla., equipment and supplies manufacturers came together to showcase new products and talk trends in the food prep, cooking, storage and table-service segments. Foodservice and Hospitality was there to discover innovative trends and cool new products to make restaurants run better. Here are some of our favourite finds from this year’s show:
Innovation Introduced
American Metalcraft debuted an eight-page gatefold brochure at NAFEM, along with its 330-page product catalogue. Products included serving boards in carbonized bamboo, faux-slate melamine and olive wood/marble. New tabletop temptations included glass zipper bags, ceramic crushed paint cans and poplar-wood boxes. Buffet and display items include hammered stainless-steel griddles and stands, mix-andmatch juice dispensers, low-profile cast iron pans and stainless-steel crates to hold Vidacasa cells. amnow.com
Fired Up
Cookshack, Inc. introduced its first wood-burning, pelletfired pizza oven. The Cookshack PZ400 can cook a handcrafted pizza over real wood and smoke in just three minutes, without having to turn the pizza or manage a fire. Temperatures on the PZ400 range from 170 to 900°F and pellets made from real wood give authentic flavour. While most wood-fired pizza ovens are bulky or need to be left outside, the PZ400 can be installed under a standard commercial hood. cookshack.com
Low Profile
Powered by Turbo Coil, Montague’s Heavy Duty Refrigerated Equipment Bases provide substantial technological and construction advancements that ensure long life, superior performance and significant cost savings to the end user. With an ergonomically constructed height, these low-profile units are specifically designed and insulated to support heavy countertop-cooking equipment. Units come with a Marine Edge top or can be integrated with a transition base for a custom one-piece installation. montaguecompany.com
Sunkist
Sunkist launched its new Pro Series commercial citrus juicer. Made in North America, this more compact citrus juicer offers the same Sunkist quality in a smaller footprint of 11 3/4-inches tall by 7 1/2-inches in diameter. Weighing only 12 lbs., it is engineered to extract 10 gallons (37 liters) of juice per hour by way of its high torque direct-drive motor. It features quick and easy cleaning with three lift-off dishwasher-safe parts. sunkistequipment.com
Fast and Furious
The Rapide Cuisine Built-In Induction Range from Hatco Corporation mounts flush with the countertop for a seamless look, while its Magnetic Power System (MPS) provides maximum cooking and holding power. Designed and built to handle the rigours of commercial foodservice use, the built-in Rapide Cuisine features an advanced programmable mode to create preset menu items for consistent cooking cycles and a USB port below the control panel for downloading updates and adding modes. hatcocorp.com
Multi-tasking
The Vector Series Multi-Cook Oven from Alto-Shaam offers up to four ovens in one. The Vector Series Multi-Cook Oven can simultaneously cook a variety of items with no flavour transfer, while improved throughput allows chefs to cook up to two times more food than a traditional convection oven. The unit, which offers a ventless option, provides even cooking in a small footprint. alto-shaam.com
