Fifty years ago today, on the 11th January 1972, a meeting took place at the premises of The Gas Council on Tottenham Court Road, London, to determine that the Catering Equipment Distributors Association should be officially formed.

The meeting was the fruition of more than a year of conversation and exploratory meetings between a group of distributors, driven by Michael Swerdlow of the Modern Kitchen Equipment Company of Liverpool Limited.

Mr Swerdlow had been in the US in 1970 and met with a number of American dealers and was introduced to the concept of competitors working together for the benefit of all which had formed the US Foodservice Equipment Dealers Association.

Upon his return, he contacted a number of competitors and outlined his vision for an equivalent UK Association.

Informal meetings throughout 1971 sought to; determine the Association’s purpose, outline a code of practice, categories of membership, and a list of desired inaugural Members.

These were presented to a wider audience at the meeting 50 years ago today and positive discussion led to a vote that resolved that the Catering Equipment Distributors Association should be officially formed and the following were elected as Committee members:

• Haydn Davis of Haydn Davis Catering Equipment of Newport (Wales)
• Geofrrey Alderson of Scobie and McIntosh of Edinburgh
• Pat Beazley of Berry and Warmington of Liverpool
• Philip Mollett of Molletts of Bradford – Chairman
• Stanley Webster – Secretary
• Bill Wakeling of Staines Catering Equipment of London
• Frank Hall of County Catering Equipment of Canterbury
• Michael Swerdlow of Modern Kitchen Equipment of Liverpool

Present at the meeting were:

Victor Tucker Ltd. – Bristol

Modern Kitchen Equipment (Liverpool) Ltd. – Liverpool

Haydn Davies (Equipment) Co. Ltd. – Newport

County Catering Equipment Co. Ltd. – Canterbury

A. Yeates & Sons Ltd. – Croydon

Southern Cross Equipment Co. – Hove

Scobie & Mcintosh Ltd. – Edinburgh
Scobie & Mcintosh Ltd. – Newcastle Upon Tyne
Scobie & Mcintosh Ltd. – Edinburgh
Scobie & Mcintosh Ltd. – Glasgow

Jeffery Higgs Ltd. – Llandudno

D. M. Musitano Ltd. – Truro

Roland Allen & Co. Ltd. – Luton

Burbridge Ltd. – Guernsey
Burbridge (Jersey) Ltd. – Jersey

John D. Deas Ltd. – Glasgow

Institution Supplies Ltd. – Leeds

Gerard Gamble Ltd. – Leicester

Wilson Watson Mcvinnie Ltd. – Glasgow

G. B. Catering Equipment Ltd. – Cardiff

Le Lievres Ltd. – Jersey

Berry & Warmington Ltd. – Liverpool

Catering Equipment Centre Ltd. – Scarborough

Staines Kitchen Equipment Ltd. – London

Autocatering Ltd. – Brighton

W. A. Brown & Harris Ltd. – Manchester

Shaws Hotel Service Ltd. – Margate

Sidlock Of Salisbury – Salisbury

John Kelly & Son Ltd. – Edinburgh

Benham & Sons Ltd. – London

Hall & Rogers Ltd. – Manchester

Peter Nisbet & Co. Ltd. – Bristol

Adam Mason, ceda Director General, commented, “It’s been fascinating reading through the Minutes of meetings that took place throughout 1971 and 1972. The landscape of the catering equipment industry was certainly very different then, though it is interesting to see that there are also consistent themes – Cash & Carry stores beginning to stock light equipment and tableware was the “internet” of the 70’s.

“Catering Equipment Distributors from the 1970s to the present day have a lot to thank ceda’s founders for. They put a great deal of time, effort and commitment into establishing and formalising the distribution channel and fighting for its’ recognition.”

The first ceda Council meeting took place on the 2nd February 1972 in Birmingham and we will bring you further stories from ceda’s founding year over the next several months.

Electrolux Professional has expanded its use of green gases within its refrigeration equipment portfolio.

The move will see its refrigeration products use the most climate-friendly CO₂ natural refrigerant, as a replacement for the less sustainable Hydrofluorocarbon greenhouse gases (HFC-gases). As well as being more environmentally-friendly, the alternative gases also offer improved operational performance and energy efficiency.

The new greener gases were introduced into Electrolux Professional’s remote compressor versions of the Prostore Cabinets and HP Premium Counters earlier this year, and will be in place in the remote Roll in cabinets by the end of 2021. The remote ecostore^HP, ecostore^HP Premium, and ecostore^HP Touch cabinets are set to be updated in the first half of 2022.

Steve Bowler, Design and Product Manager at Electrolux Professional, comments: “Refrigeration equipment is invariably in use 24/7, which makes it critical to do everything we can to minimise the impact it has on the environment. To illustrate, it can often account for as much as 40 per cent of a kitchen’s total energy consumption.

“The re-design of the cooling circuits in our refrigeration equipment optimises the natural gases, and as a result, an improved product performance and energy consumption in the cooling system is achieved. The new green gases have a cooling effect that is four times greater than HFCs, which combined with improved insulation in the updated range, significantly improves the green credentials of our products.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.electroluxprofessional.com/gb/refrigerated-cabinets/

Eglfing, Germany – Once again, Welbilt’s Convotherm brand is setting a new milestone in the development of innovative, future-oriented products. With the Convotherm maxx pro, a new generation of combi ovens has been created that includes a complete high-end package. This premium oven stands out for its innovations and technologies, such as the 10″ HiRes TFT touchscreen display with scrolling function, automatic cooking or the triple glazing of the oven door for optimised energy consumption – a whole host of features that offer real added value for professional chefs.

New Convotherm philosophy: IntelligentSimplicity
Right from the start, the Convotherm maxx pro is well thought-out. The oven is packed with innovations that are useful for everyday work in professional kitchens, resulting in greater efficiency, productivity and profitability. It is impressive that the physical components, functions and software at all levels of the Convotherm maxx pro are extremely user-friendly. This approach follows the Convotherm IntelligentSimplicity philosophy. This term defines the combination of intelligence and simplicity in all areas in order to meet complex requirements as simply and efficiently as possible, which also has an impact on service and operating costs.

High definition for quality results , cooking processes and efficiency
In keeping with the IntelligentSimplicity motto, the Convotherm maxx pro is equipped with four management functions developed by Convotherm, which facilitate optimum operation and always deliver the best results:
– Climate Management: in the Convotherm maxx pro, in the unique closed Natural Smart Climate™ system, the optimum baking chamber climate can be set for each product, thus achieving perfect baking and baking results. In addition, energy efficiency has been further improved by up to ten percent compared to the predecessor oven.
– Quality Management: A large number of innovative functions help professional chefs or bakers to always achieve the best product quality. Intelligent sensors, sophisticated air guidance via AirFlow Management and an intelligent, programme-controlled interplay of steam, hot air and time ensure optimum quality for every product, whether baked or baked.
– Production Management: Perfectly coordinated functions ensure that the Convotherm maxx pro is always easy and clear to operate, even when complex processes are involved, so that you can work efficiently, profitably and stress-free. These include Press&Go, which ensures automatic cooking at the touch of a finger, an integrated recipe book that can be accessed at the touch of a button, or TrayView, which is useful for mixed rotary loading.
– Cleaning Management: Perfect cleanliness is a feature of the Convotherm maxx pro. The fully automatic, multi-stage and environmentally friendly cleaning system is even approved for unattended operation. Because users never come into direct contact with the cleaning agents, no gloves are required for use. In addition, the innovative HygeniCare package provides an additional advantage in terms of hygiene.

The world of Convo products: ConvoSmoke – ConvoGrill – ConvoServe – ConvoSense
The gastronomy sector is varied and so are the different options with which the Convotherm maxx pro is available:
– for all gastronomy concepts that smoke on their own, the intelligent ConvoSmoke smoking option is suitable, which makes the Convotherm maxx pro the perfect smoking oven – without requiring additional kitchen space. ConvoSmoke enables both efficient hot smoking and cold smoking of delicate foods.
– For restaurants that rely on grilled specialities, the ConvoGrill is an optimal possibility for perfect grilled products at any time, whether chicken, meat or vegetables. Thanks to the intelligent fat separation, the Convotherm maxx pro with ConvoGrill is more environmentally friendly, cost-saving and faster.
– The intelligent ConvoServe production concept enables stress-free operation. This concept allows dishes to be prepared calmly and finished precisely when required, reaching the customer quickly, fresh and of the highest quality. ConvoServe is particularly suitable for large quantities, buffets, banquet dishes or à la Carte services. The combination of sophisticated technical functions for the perfect regeneration and finishing of dishes with tailor-made accessories makes ConvoServe an unrivalled production solution that is able to optimally transform the demanding into the simple – true to the IntelligentSimplicity philosophy.
– The future of baking and baking is fully automatic, and with the Convotherm maxx pro ConvoSense is already a reality. Thanks to artificial intelligence with state-of-the-art sensors, the innovative ConvoSense assistance system offers completely new perspectives for food preparation. ConvoSense makes it possible to achieve maximum efficiency and reliability of results and, at the same time, to achieve cost-effectiveness by conserving resources.

The whole world of baking
Another member of the Convotherm maxx pro family is the BAKE, which combines traditional baking know-how with modern combi oven functions. With the Convotherm maxx pro BAKE, fresh bakery products, snacks and small meals can be baked to the highest quality. The Rise&Ready proofer profiles are ideally suited to the production of bakery products. In addition to the BakePro multi-stage baking function, which ensures excellent proofing of small bakery products, optimum crumb and shine of bakery products, the optimised suction panels, trays and bakery-format accessories of the Convotherm maxx pro meet the requirements of the bakery industry.

The intelligent baking world with kitchenconnect®, the cloud-based networking solution
The Convotherm maxx pro and kitchenconnect®, Welbilt’s innovative, future-oriented networking solution, allow you to keep everything under control at all times. In real time and cloud-based, kitchenconnect® provides access to data and information from anywhere in the world. This makes it possible to analyse, evaluate or re-plan processes. Asset, efficiency, quality and menu management can be monitored on the screen.

Premium class redefined
“In developing the Convotherm maxx pro, we asked professional chefs around the world what they wanted from a premium combi oven. We integrated the knowledge we gained into the planning of the new generation of combi ovens, which enabled us to develop a unique high-definition oven and to redefine the premium category once again. The Convotherm maxx pro includes many practical functions in line with our IntelligentSimplicity maxim. The aim is to meet complex challenges in a simple way. These include cost-effectiveness, efficiency and, of course, hygiene. Functionality and resource-efficient operation make the Convotherm maxx pro a modern combi-steamer that will contribute to preparing high-quality cuisine for the future,” explains Arndt Manter, Head of Product Management at Welbilt for Convotherm.

Further details about Convotherm maxx pro: www.convotherm.com/maxx-pro

Adande Refrigeration produces an informative guide in support of the aims of the Zero Carbon Forum, helping hospitality operators understand energy labelling for commercial refrigeration and supporting the drive towards carbon net zero.

Adande Refrigeration today introduces an easy-to-use guide for operators to help them understand energy labelling with regards to refrigeration. Refrigeration runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in most cases, and is a high energy user in a kitchen.

The guide, which supports hospitality’s drive to carbon net zero, and in particular the work of the Zero Carbon Forum, explains clearly what the symbols on the energy label mean and how they can be interpreted to give value to hospitality brands.

The guide, which is available here has already met with favourable response from hospitality outlets, as brands continue to strive for increased efficiency and sustainability.

Adande, who are known for their efficient refrigeration, famously developed the ‘hold-the-cold’ technology, which stops cold air spillage otherwise common in traditional refrigeration. Adande drawers need less energy to run, in part because the insulated containers keeps the cold air with the food. The stable temperature and humidity reduces food waste by keeping food fresher for longer.

Speaking of the guide, CEO Nigel Bell said “Adande as an organisation seeks to deliver the most value in a sustainable way. With COP26 goals firmly established with a view to reversing the damage of climate change, we wanted to give a helping hand to operators as they strive to become more efficient, reduce waste and use less energy. This guide will help hospitality outlets when it comes to purchasing new equipment; the energy label is a great tool to have when making those decisions.”