At this year’s Catersource Show, thousands of caterers viewed product displays at the tradeshow and watched Cambro products in use at the live cooking competitions, Diced and Rapid Recipe Challenge. We’ve highlighted a few standout Cambro products that will be of special interest to Caterers. These are the notable ones that we feel will most benefit caterers with their flexibility and use in multiple ways. These are the products that help an operation stay organized, keep food safe and reduce labor and natural resources either through its design or functionality.

1. The Flex Station. The Flex Station is essentially comprised of a Camshelving Premium mobile unit, angled divider bars and a variety of food boxes and food pans to suit your needs. At the show, the Flex Station was set up as an instant pantry area where contestants ran to grab a choice of over 40 pantry staples with which to compete. Dried pasta, couscous, flour, onions, potatoes, cucumbers and a wide variety of fresh vegetables, herbs and extracts were just some of the few ingredients that were used as staples for the contestants.

In a non-competition, everyday commercial kitchen setting, the Flex Station can be used to store ingredients that would enable the chef to execute the day’s special menu. After setting up the station with all the vegetables, seafood and meat in the cooler, it can be wheeled to the prep area for lunch and dinner service and quickly wheeled back to the cooler to keep everything fresh.

The Flex Station can also be used for other creative purposes—not just in the kitchen.  It proved to be a hit with caterers as a Catering Assistant at the show, keeping assorted catering décor and tabletop items neatly organized and highly accessible–from votive candles to napkin rings to party favors to pass out to your guests. Its mobility makes setting up tablescapes in ballrooms and other venues a breeze as well. A must-try!

2. Cambro’s half-size Camchiller (CP814). For items needing to stay cool while away from the walk-in, Cambro’s half-size Camchiller (CP814) provides the perfect food safety partner to the Flex Station. It fits neatly into the 12×18 hanging food boxes and can also be used with a full-size hotel pan. It’s also a smart way to rapidly cool down food such as pasta without watering down the item—a neat McGyver-like trick learned from one of the contestants!
   

   

3. ColdFest® pan. If you need to keep items such as cream or butter fresh below 41°F,  a cold gel-filled ColdFest® pan is great for that purpose and can be used for direct food contact with all types of food products as well (think ice creams, dressings, cold gazpacho, desserts, etc.)

4. KD Cart. Aka the Knock Down Cart because it ships flat and is easily assembled anywhere. This is a great all-purpose cart, indispensable in foodservice and catering.  It can be used to transport products from Receiving, used to load supplies onto a van or truck, can be used as a bus cart or it can serve as an instant station to bring mis-en-place preparations to the Chef. At Diced, it was the great service assistant, presenting plated dishes to the judges. Any way you use it, it’ll surely knock you out with all of its uses!

5. Camrack. For our fifth neat product to share, we pick the Camrack. At the show no one ever gives glass racks a twice over, often gravitating to other ‘sexier’ items that catch their eye. But after a conversation explaining why it’s designed with closed outer walls and open inside compartments, eyes widen with amazement and DING! a lightbulb moment shines through. Did you know that the Camrack not only provides a total 4-in-1 system for the smart operator (it cleans, keeps contaminants out with its closed walls, helps inventory with its colored base racks and various personalization options and ID clips, and transports safely with its enclosed dolly and cover)? Camracks help save labor, water and chemicals from not having to rewash glasses before an event, or they can save you money from no longer having to buy shrink wrap, if that’s more your cup of tea (a most unintended pun!) But not only that, did you know Camracks can help you safely transport mini desserts to your next event? Check out our picture below with the 49 compartment glass rack.  This was indeed a noteworthy tip learned from a caterer!

6. Handwash Accessory. This handwash accessory is a unit that straps to the top of your existing beverage server.  It has a soap dispenser with the option of either a paper towel roll or multi-fold paper towel holder. Use warm water from your beverage server, add a pail and voila! You have an instant handwash station. This is the ultimate must-have for off-site catering events and fairs–anywhere that a water source is not readily available but where handwashing is a requirement. It’s one of our top picks and certainly a Health Department favorite!
   

   

Trying even just one of these Catersource favorites, you will see a noticeable improvement with efficiency, labor and resource savings and food safety in your operation.  So give it a try today!  Find out where to buy these items – click here.