Will Lawrence spent two decades earning his place at the top of New York City's culinary world. Starting as a busboy at his uncle's restaurant at age 14, he trained through some of the city's most demanding kitchens, including a tenure at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se in Manhattan. He later built a career as a private chef for Oscar award-winning actors and professional athletes before founding Lawrence Food Group in 2022.
Segment.
VIP Private Dining & Catering.
Equipment in Use.
iCombi Pro | iVario Pro
Key Results
- Shorter cook times, higher volume, less labor
- 10,000+ meals prepared for a single 14-day event
- Consistent texture and quality across all proteins, grains, and vegetables
Once he understood what the iCombi Pro was capable of, the shift in perspective was immediate and permanent. Seven years later, RATIONAL equipment is central to Lawrence Food Group's production model, used at least three to four times per week across every type of service.
50%+
of all food cooked with RATIONAL
10,000+
meals served at a single embassy event
7 Years
using RATIONAL in professional kitchens
10,000 Meals for an Embassy During the UN General Assembly.
Perhaps the clearest proof of what RATIONAL enables at Lawrence Food Group came during a 14-day catering assignment for an embassy during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The scope was substantial: 30 on-site staff each day, breakfast and lunch service for approximately 300 people per day, plus private VIP dining on separate embassy floors. From start to finish, the operation served more than 10,000 people.
Central to the menu were rice dishes and a wide range of vegetables, prepared in the tradition of the hosting country's cuisine. At that scale, consistency is everything.
The iCombi Pro handled large-volume rice cookery across 10 to 12 simultaneous pans, maintaining precise moisture levels and consistent texture throughout. For vegetables, Chef Will deployed 100% steam to par-cook multiple trays at once, locking in color and texture without blanching, then finishing at the event site. The result: a flawless presentation with zero indication the food had been prepared offsite.
The steaming capability is identified by Chef Will as the equipment's single most valuable feature for high-volume catering. It enables par-cooking at scale, preserves visual quality during transport, and gives the kitchen reliable control over final texture regardless of what's available on-site.
- Large-volume rice cookery across 10-12 simultaneous pans with consistent moisture and texture
- High-steam par-cooking of vegetables with full color retention, finished on-site
- Low-temperature fish cookery to rare, finished at service for color and char
- Proteins, grains, and vegetables across every cuisine type and event format
If space allowed, Chef Will notes he would prefer to run 100% of production through RATIONAL. Today, the 50% figure reflects kitchen capacity, not preference.
When asked about the decision criteria he applies to any major equipment investment, his answer is direct: "It makes sense for the money, it makes sense for the time, it makes sense for the amount of labor and hours it shortens. Every criteria I look at, whether I want to make a decision for my company, it checks those boxes."
What’s Next.
Lawrence Food Group is growing. The client base is expanding. Future kitchens are on the horizon. Through every stage of that growth, Chef Will sees RATIONAL as a constant.
"Whether it’s here at the kitchen or when I decide to create other kitchens, it’s a product line that’s almost mandatory in all kitchens."