Chef Tony Maws and his acclaimed bistro Craigie on Main serve up fresh local ingredients in a rustic culinary style inspired as much by his grandmother’s cooking as it is by his time studying in France and traveling the world.
Maws and his influential restaurant – which frequently has a line of people waiting to get inside – have garnered awards from the James Beard Foundation, Boston Magazine, Wine Spectator and Food & Wine Magazine, among others.
“There's a level of repetition that's involved with cooking, but every plate, every dish, every ingredient that we touch, we can be better at it. How can I make it taste better, look better, or do it more efficiently, or go about the process in a way that makes people happier?” Maws asks. “There's a level of self-evaluation that's always pushing us forward.”
Maws had seen RATIONAL demonstrations at trade shows, but felt combi ovens were intended more for banquets and high-production facilities than for his small, independent restaurant. Then he tried using one.
“It’s phenomenal. I don’t necessarily know what's going on behind the panel, but I do know that when something is easier for my cooks to use, when the temperature doesn't deviate, when the product that we're cooking comes out better – tastier, juicier, browner, crispier, faster – consistently, day in, day out, that is tremendous,” said Chef Maws.
He also values the versatility of the RATIONAL. “We can maximize what's happening in the kitchen because there are so many different ways we can use the RATIONAL.” “Not a lot of effort goes into a heat up or cool down, and it's very easy to do one thing and switch to another. Any way we can save time and not have to compromise on quality and consistency, that's huge.”