Katie Green recalls laughing as a teenager filing invoices at Refrigerated Specialist Inc. (RSI) when her father suggested that once she started at the company, she’d likely never leave. His words proved true. She fell in love with the company and the foodservice industry and now has 18 years under her belt at RSI. She also serves as co-chair for the Young Executive Council of the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA).
One way we measure ourselves against our quest to deliver fresh and interesting new content is by regularly submitting our work to associations that judge us against business-to-business peer publications. The result is the list of our awards that appear on the masthead of our magazine. We are proud of these awards because they highlight the depth of talent that we plumb to produce a magazine that you tell us is worth reading month in and month out.
Most of us can agree that we work in one of the greatest industries. Relationships are still important in foodservice because they are important to the people in it. One area where we can make progress is diversity.
It’s now or never. I strongly believe that 2019 is going to be the year when restaurants will really need to pick up their speed and think toward the future — or risk getting left in the dust.
A special shout-out this month to Editorial Director Joe Carbonara and the entire Zoomba Group team for establishing a new high-water mark for FE&S’ professional recognition. In May the American Society of Business Publication Editors recognized this publication with seven of its national Azbee awards for design and content excellence.
When we opened the first Doc B's in September 2013 in Chicago we started as a fast-casual concept with digital menu boards, GPS table trackers and a few servers to run the food to customers. By March 2014, we started to make the transition to full service. Not long after, we converted our second Chicago location to full service, and then went on to open six additional sites throughout Florida and Texas. Our newest location will open this summer in Aventura, Fla.
Jeff Martin’s background and affinity for all things technical made his career as a foodservice equipment service technician almost predestined. He began following his passion in high school, where he took both technology and electrical programs.
Well, I’m not sure that having fun was all that we wanted to do at The NAFEM Show 2019 in Orlando, Fla., but I can tell you that we certainly had some. (Yep — another reference to Sheryl Crow, who I would like to thank for tossing me her guitar pick.)
Welcome to the May 2019 issue of FE&S magazine. We hope that you will enjoy the fresh look and feel of the latest redesign.
I hear the word holistic used a lot these days. Nutritionists and others in the health and wellness space use it to describe the way they approach consulting and care. Many executives latch onto the term to describe a next generation or new wave of thinking as businesses evolve. In this time-crunched, profit-pinched and super-competitive world, a holistic approach has become more important than perhaps ever before.
Recent years have seen many foodservice equipment innovations — more so than ever before. Increased minimum wage, exposure to liability and the need for speed are some of the contributing factors. How does equipment factor into this? Can equipment help reduce labor hours? Can temperature controls in equipment reduce human error in cooking temps? Can equipment cook food faster with the same result?
As CEO and president of Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) for the past five years, Hattie Hill makes it her mission to collect research, insights and best practice solutions in order to help close the workplace gender gap in the foodservice industry. The group’s annual conference, March 10 to 13 in Dallas, marks its 30th anniversary. Hattie is also the founder and CEO of Hattie Hill Enterprises (HHE), a management and human relations consultancy in Dallas.
Jen Hidinger-Kendrick co-founded Giving Kitchen in 2013 after her husband, chef Ryan Hidinger, was diagnosed with cancer. The nonprofit emergency assistance program provides financial assistance to foodservice workers. The foundation is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year Award for 2019.
Family, relationships, honoring teachers and celebrating tradition are all important. There should be no doubt the new ideas, energy and technological flexibility of youth is critical to the future success of the foodservice industry. Balancing the vim and vigor of newcomers — in my view anyone with less than 10 years in the biz — with the sacrifice and hard work of our founding mothers and fathers seems like the best formula for success.
Though Coolgreens opened in 2009, it was in February of this year that we opened our first franchised location in Tulsa, Okla., as an addition to our five corporate locations in Oklahoma City. We opened our second franchised location, this one in South Lake, Texas, and plan to open two more locations in Dallas as well as other locations in Boston and Miami.
Tired of hearing about delivery this and that yet? Well, it’s only just begun according to Daniel Boutare, managing associate, and David Stone, managing partner and principal, both of The New England Consulting Group (NECG) in Westport, Conn.
Ramar Restaurant Equipment & Supplies’ involvement in the buying group Excell Marketing led Mark Raber and his wife Kathy to nominate The Center, an addiction recovery center, in Palos Park, Ill., to receive a new commercial kitchen. Ramar Supply donated consultation services as well as kitchen design, general contracting, warehousing, delivery and installation to the project. Mark’s involvement was both professional and personal.
With a talent and an affinity for all things mechanical, Kevin Priest attended South Georgia Technical College in Cordele, where he studied both industrial electrical technologies and electrical construction and maintenance. This prepared him well for his current career.
As a member of the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association for the last 20-plus years, I have valued the organization’s ability to anticipate trends in the foodservice industry. This ability has provided invaluable guidance and support to not only service companies but also manufacturers, foodservice equipment dealers, independent manufacturers’ representatives, consultants and operators.
At 87 years old, Hal Block, principal of YBR Marketing, is still going strong with more than five decades as a manufacturers’ rep.
