The Waterside Inn by Alain Roux. Berkshire, UK.

The Waterside Inn, under the esteemed leadership of Alain Roux offers a truly exceptional dining experience, offering a taste of French fine dining in the heart of England. The Waterside Inn has held three Michelin stars since 1985, making it one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. It holds the distinction of being the first restaurant outside of France to retain all three stars for 25 consecutive years.

The restaurant also operates a prestigious culinary school, offering a variety of courses for aspiring chefs and food enthusiasts. Under the watchful eye of renowned former Michelin executive chef and now chef instructor Michael Nizzero, the culinary school teaches techniques to master the art of French cuisine.

Alain’s father, a culinary visionary, recognised the need for modern technology when he started out. Today the Waterside Inn, has embraced the iVario Pro and iCombi Pro and have significantly enhanced their operations and student learning. The Rational cooking systems have offered them a range of benefits, including improved efficiency, consistent quality, versatility, and cost-effectiveness.

"My father was one of those chefs who was always at the top of his game with his equipment. He was always ready to learn and discover what was the best on the market, and he was one of the first to use RATIONAL in his kitchen. He realised very soon that he was using the best, and it keeps going now, because the best is the best."

Alain Roux places a raspberry on top of a souffle he is plating at this restaurant The Waterside Inn. The iCombi Pro can be seen in the kitchen behind him.

The RATIONAL iCombi Pro combi oven plays a pivotal role in the school’s culinary training, offering precise temperature control, versatility, efficiency, ease of use, and reliability. This enables the Waterside Inn Culinary School to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge to succeed in the culinary industry.

Alain Roux adds: "It’s beautiful when you look at it, a large clear window. As a chef, you like to see the cooking stages and how things are evolving. On top of that, the regularity on all your shelves from the top to the bottom, it’s the same consistency. Maintaining the stars must be a question of innovating new dishes as well as consistency in what we do. So that’s why we need very good equipment for that."

The iVario Pro also holds a crucial role in maintaining the Roux family’s culinary legacy, while embracing modern technology, giving students hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment. Alain elaborates: "I saw it first at trade shows where I was extremely impressed. I couldn’t wait to have a demonstration with it, and when I saw what it could do, it inspired me to find a place for it in my kitchen. It’s so versatile; it’s not for a single use - you can use it for many things. It’s easy to use."

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“I have worked with RATIONAL all of my career. As a tool, it’s very precise. We achieve as close to perfection as possible in our industry. RATIONAL for this is very flexible, very easy to use. It allows us to gain a lot of time daily.”

Customer Benefit:
  • Michelin-star quality and consistency to the food
  • Easy-to-use, ideal for their culinary school training
  • Precision and flexibility leading to exceptional results
  • Versatile and cost-effective
  • Great support and training from RATIONAL
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