State-of-the-art equipment can help make commercial kitchens smarter and more efficient, but for Kathleen Held, who leads one of the nation’s top foodservice consulting firms, a human-centric approach to kitchen design is equally important.

The first female principal at Aria Group, Megan Walsh is a leader of the Chicago-based design studio’s restaurant and entertainment projects, working on everything from high-end steakhouses and celebrity chef-owned brands to multinational fast-casuals and neighborhood independents.

A former special education teacher, Tiffany Fixter owns and operates Brewability, a brewpub in Englewood, Colo.

The Vollrath Co. appointed Paris Dreibelbis to serve as corporate chef and product training manager.

Paul Egbert will retire as vice president of product and market strategy at The Vollrath Company.

This new option, adding frozen to the mix, is just the next iteration of serving line equipment innovation. 

Following her heart and her passion for baking, Joanne Canady-Brown left a corporate project management position in 2008, joined Panera Bread later that year, and within two years ventured out on her own as a food entrepreneur.

As a child, Cheetie Kumar moved with her family from India to the United States, bringing along high hopes for the American-dream lifestyle portrayed on TV.

Over 27 years, Ellen Yin has built numerous successful restaurants and amassed top awards, including Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Women of Distinction” award and “Outstanding Restaurateur” by the James Beard Foundation.

“We need to raise people up.”

The Vollrath Company hired Brad Nye to serve as senior vice president of operations.

“Every dish has a narrative.”

“Without the diversity that is in the restaurant business today, this business is not a business.”

A certified trainer for the National Coalition Building Institute, Emerald Mills is the visionary behind two Milwaukee-based organizations: Diverse Dining and Turning Tables. Both are dedicated to breaking down barriers and promoting inclusivity through food.

Founded in Denver in 2018, CHOW is a nonprofit whose acronym stands for Culinary Hospitality Outreach Wellness. Its goal is to create a more sustainable workforce by helping hospitality industry employees improve their mental and physical well-being, often compromised by job-related stressors.

It can be difficult to maximize space in a salad bar setting since space is at a premium as the number of offerings increase. But what if there is an innovative solution that can solve the space conundrum? Introducing Vollrath’s SerVue touchless refrigerated vertical dispenser.

Shannon Solomon refers often to a quote by poet and civil rights advocate Maya Angelou in describing her approach to leadership and to creating a culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Among the toughest challenges industry leaders working to advance diversity, equity and inclusion face has to do with eggshells, and not those left over from cooking, suggests Tracey MacRae, campus executive chef, assistant director of culinary and dining systems at the University of Washington.

“I’ve never had a woman sous chef, and I’m not starting with you.” Such was the welcome Brittani Ratcliff received from the executive chef she’d been hired to work under in her first job out of culinary school. The foodservice director, who overheard the declaration, laughed it off. Three weeks later, Ratcliff was shifted to another position.

Stephan C. Baity vividly recalls the 2020 KIA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany, for many reasons.

The foodservice industry has faced many major challenges over the past couple of years. Despite all the struggles, the industry has shown admirable perseverance and we think it’s time to start focusing on opportunities. This one has been hiding in plain sight: It’s time to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Customers seem to expect more and more from their local convenience store. Luckily Rutter's, a convenience store chain on the east coast, is ready to deliver.

Current industry struggles have changed how everyone views the future from operators to suppliers to manufacturers. The crystal ball isn’t entirely clear but here, suppliers and manufacturers offer insights into what may come in the equipment and supplies industry.