Since combi oven cooking is continuing to gain ever-wider acceptance in the U.S. foodservice industry, the recent National Restaurant Association Show offered Eloma an opportunity to demonstrate exactly what its combi ovens are capable of doing for end-users.

    During the show, Aga Foodservice Equipment's Corporate Chefs Mike Nicholson and Steve Goellner conducted continuous live cooking demonstrations with Eloma ovens, drawing a crowd and exposing everyone from casual passersby to potential multi-unit customers to the benefits of combi cooking in general and Eloma's products in particular.

    According to Mitch Cohen, vice president of cooking system sales for Eloma, Stellar Steam and Infinity Fryers, Eloma units received enthusiastic responses across the board, including from some booth visitors who requested personalized cooking demonstrations.

    "We had some end-users come in and ask us to cook their products with our equipment," Cohen recalled. "One operator who came in uses a 'secret' rub for a chicken dish he offers, so we put it on some chicken and cooked it for him. It came out very well."

    While the quality of finished products was a primary concern for end-users and specifiers who evaluated Eloma units at the NRA Show, technical features offered by the manufacturer earned good reviews, as well. Potential customers, said Cohen, expressed strong interest in the boilerless design of Eloma combis, as well as of units from Eloma's sister company, Stellar Steam. Eloma's self-cleaning AutoClean feature also drew significant attention and approval.

    "People really liked the idea that they can set an Eloma combi to clean after closing and then coming back the next day with it all ready to go," Cohen related.

    One category of customers who showed a particular interest in Eloma were F&B professionals from hotels and resorts, who evaluated its combi ovens as a potentially key components of their banquet kitchens. "These customers are interested in feeding 1,000 people in half an hour. That's something that Eloma and our banqueting systems can do," said Cohen. "We have plate racks that can roll right into a combi unit so food can be rethermalized."

    Whether it was the cooking demonstrations, technical features or practical uses, Eloma made good use of the NRA Show by spreading the word about its capabilities, and the capabilities of combis ovens in general. A few more such exhibitions and, perhaps, boilerless combis will achieve even greater acceptance in our industry.