Chefs use their passion, creativity and skill to elevate our dining experiences to moments of pure delight. Without chefs, Cambro wouldn’t be where it is today. When chefs find a foodservice product they like, their loyalty is unwavering. When other chefs ask for suggestions, they don’t gatekeep, they immediately tell them about their favorite things. We’ve long known that Cambro is special to chefs, but when we first saw someone get a tattoo of a product, we realized their loyalty was literally more than skin deep. Although there are many reasons we love chefs, we rounded up our Top 5. And no, we’re not crying…just chopping onions.
1. They’re Creative
When we create a product, it’s typically designed with a specific use in mind. But time and time again, we see photos and videos on social media where our products are used in a different way than our engineers originally planned. For example, our Front Loading GoBox® was designed to hold food pans of hot or cold food. However, we’ve seen multiple people, like Instagram user @collettesjustdesserts use it to transport cakes!
Another one of our favorites is the champagne chiller Zoë François made using our 6 qt. Translucent Round.
Click here to see 5 innovative ways to use Cambro products.
2. They’re Passionate
3. They Inspire New Products
One of the reasons we’re able to create so many new products is because of the feedback we receive from chefs. We talk to chefs in all sectors about the things they like and dislike about all kinds of equipment. When we hear a pain point, one of our favorite things is to create a Cambro product that provides a solution to their problem. For example, we developed the Food Pan Trolley after noticing how most chefs stored them inefficiently on sheet pan racks.
Another invention came by way of a longstanding customer: The Salvation Army. They loved their Top Loading GoBoxes, but wished they had a hinged lid like their heavy duty Cambro hot boxes.
“You could flip it back and then scoop in there. It kept the food a little bit hotter,” said Jeff Jellets, Territorial Disaster Coordinator with The Salvation Army – Southern Territory.
After Salvation Army, World Central Kitchen, American Red Cross and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief gathered together for a meeting to discuss strategy, they contacted Cambro about their idea. By the next meeting, their Cambro rep had sent him a sample of the lid for them to try and review. A couple months later, the Cam GoBox Flip Lid was officially put into production.
4. They’re Honest
When chefs don’t like something, they don’t tip toe around our feelings. We are very aware of the things you do and do not like. While that can be humbling for some, we find it extremely helpful to know how we can improve. In fact, two products that launched in 2023 were created with chefs’ feedback in mind.
After decades, we introduced a new line of CamSquares. When talking to chefs about our classic line, we heard some similar comments.
- We heard: “It’s hard to find the right lid” and “The lid doesn’t fit tightly enough.”
- Our response: Color coded lids and containers and a Seal Cover that hugs the container tightly—you can even hear the air “woosh” out.
Camshelving Elements® XTRA Series
After 10 years in production, Camshelving Elements Series customers provided valuable feedback that proved worthy of a product line transformation.
- We heard: “There are a lot of grooves to clean” and “It’s time consuming to put together”
- Our response: We changed the design slightly so that there were less crevices to gather dirt and streamlined the assembly process, effectively reducing the number of parts by 50%.
5. They Make us Look Great
While we personally think an empty Cambro container looks good, a Cambro container full of ingredients is much better. When Cambro is tagged on social media holding a gorgeous cake or cooking a perfectly executed sous vide steak, we couldn’t be more proud. Social media can get a bad rap, but it’s the easiest way for us to see all the ways chefs use our products each and every day. Don’t forget to tag us when you post a Cambro product, we want to like and comment on anything you do.
One way we show our appreciation for the chefs who use our products is our Business of the Week. Click here to nominate your business to be featured.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
