Professional sports require peak performance both on and off the field. Great things happen every day behind the scenes, too. At Ipswich Town Football Club, for example, the team prepares around 700 meals per day in its three main kitchens. "Everything has to run like clockwork on game days, but that's easy with the right people and the right equipment," says Carl Collins, Ipswich Town Football Club's Executive Head Chef. That's why this club relies on RATIONAL iVario Pro, iCombi Pro, and iHexagon cooking systems as well as the iCareSystem AutoDose autonomous cleaning system.
"We work under pressure a lot," Collins says. "The secret is to be well organized." Which is why, to them, the iCombi Pro combi-oven's biggest benefit lies in its customizable programming options: “Just select the cooking program you need, and off you go.” The system monitors the cooking process independently, which saves the kitchen team valuable time and allows them to concentrate on other tasks.
In addition to iCombi Pro models, all of the club's kitchens also use a multifunctional iVario Pro cooking system. “Our traffic has since quadrupled," Collins reports. "We can do almost anything in the iVario – meat, gravy, soups. Without it, we would need another chef." Another advantage is that the iVario Pro can replace ovens, deep fryers, and pressure cookers, so it saves plenty of space.
“I was skeptical, but then I thought 'Wow!',” Sous Chef Christian Hood says of the iHexagon. By using microwave technology intelligently in addition to steam and hot air, it delivers great-quality food quality in the shortest possible time. "That's the most important thing to us," Hood says. "Speed, while making sure quality doesn't suffer."
The team chose to include the iCareSystem AutoDose option on its iCombi Pro and iHexagon units. Thanks to autonomous cleaning with cartridges, tabs are a thing of the past in their kitchens. This simplifies processes while keeping everything consistently spic-and-span.
With everything from a bowl food area serving up to 80 guests to private lodges seating 28 to staff catering, the employees of Ipswich Town Football Club's three main kitchens prepare 600 to 700 meals per day, and as many as 1,400 on weekends.