CTC20-20 Combi Oven

Proud Owner: Combitherm^® ovens and food wells

ACTS Retirement-Life Communities serves a mix of independent and assisted living residents. With 8,000 residents living in 23 communities located within eight states, meal times can often become busy. The average number of meals served each day can range between 265 meals at a smaller community and 775 meals at the larger communities.

ACTS Retirement-Life Commmunities found its overall food quality has increased through using Alto-Shaam's Combitherm ovens and food wells. The combi ovens are used for:

• 60% convectional cooking
• 30% baking
• 10% smoking

"We found that rolls and  the bread products were able to get extended life," said Linda Conti, Director of Purchasing Services. "If we were doing something earlier in the day, you could convert it into something else before it became bread crumbs or croutons. The bread comes out a lot moister. The products done in the combi are more consistent because of the type of recipes we have set up.”

Proud Owner: Combitherm^® and Cook & Hold ovens

The Milwaukee Art Museum has two Combitherm combination convection-steam ovens, as well as an Alto-Shaam Cook & Hold oven, to support the foodservice functions in the café and catering kitchens.

The Milwaukee Art Museum’s banqueting system is run out of a small catering kitchen and serves thousands of guests each month. Chef Micah Kaufman uses a CTP10-20 CT PROformance™ Combitherm oven to cook filets and other menu items for weddings, corporate events and fundraisers.

The CT PROformance’s intuitive recipe management system ensures that Kaufman will have consistent results every time the oven is used.

“Regardless of who I have working in the kitchen, the results are the same each time we use the oven,” Kaufman said. “It improves consistency between batches of products.”

Proud Owner: Combitherm^®

Having never used a combi oven before, La Merenda restaurant was able to decrease cooking times and increase both production and service capacity of their many small plate items by integrating an Alto-Shaam CT PROformance™ Combitherm® into the busy and stressed kitchen.

“Before using the combi, we would have to fight for space on the line,” said chef and owner Peter Sandroni. “Constantly checking the oven to see if items were done was challenging and really slowed us down during prep and service. Now, instead of having to guess and check, we use the oven to achieve the perfect finish on every item. The precision you can achieve is amazing. We can get so much more done in a day. Instead of fighting to use the oven, now we can make three dishes in six hours.”

Read more about La Merenda’s use of the CT PROformance combi oven.

Proud Owner: Combitherm^® ovens

On any given day, Chef Tony Maws is using his Combitherm oven to cook a constantly evolving menu. The Alto-Shaam combi ovens are used at Craigie on Main and The Kirkland Tap & Trotter for steaming, slow cooking, dehydration, and roasting, as well as in combination mode.

“There is nothing that we don’t try to do,” Maws said.

Consistent products and performance are essential to Maws’ operations at his two restaurants, which lead him to the Alto-Shaam products.

“The ovens perform to my expectations. They are consistent,” Maws said. “They have a lot of moving parts, but they are practical and they perform well. At the end of the day, that is what they have to do. … To me what separates Alto-Shaam is the people of Alto-Shaam and how responsive they are. It‘s a no-brainer why I stayed with Alto-Shaam.”

Related Video: The Kirkland Tap & Trotter relies on Alto-Shaam products

Proud Owner: Combitherm^®, smoker, Cook & Hold and rotisserie ovens and holding cabinets

Geisinger Health Systems has used Alto-Shaam equipment for over 20 years, including Combitherm combi ovens, smoker ovens, Cook & Hold ovens, holding cabinets and rotisserie ovens.

Steve Cerullo, Senior Foodservice Director, said what he likes best about the Alto-Shaam ovens is the ease of use, dependability and reliability. Geisinger Health Systems uses the Alto-Shaam equipment daily in the production kitchens, retail operations and room service.

 “Not only is the equipment great, but so is the support,” Steve said. “We've had our chefs at the Alto-Shaam test kitchen where they learned a ton about the Alto Shaam products and how to best use them. We also have fantastic access to the corporate chefs and sales team direct from the factory. None of them have EVER let us down when we needed something.”

Proud Owner:  Combitherm^® oven

Adam Cochran, Executive Chef, uses the CT PROformance™ Combitherm® combi oven at a golf course in North Carolina.

Adam uses the combi oven for:

• 50% convection cooking
• 30% steaming
• 20% combi cooking

“Honestly, I love everything about my Alto-Shaam,” said Adam.  “It is a comfort knowing that I have so many different resources I can work with and the turnaround in between each mode is quick. … The cooking possibilities are endless!”

Over the years, Peppermill Reno has undergone numerous renovations to get the property where it is today – four separate hotel areas, a luxury spa, 10 public restaurants, a 24/7 casino, the largest meeting and events space in northern Nevada and a thriving nightlife packed with year-round entertainment. One of the largest privately owned companies in northern Nevada, Peppermill Reno does everything from advertising to glass work in-house, including the award-winning cuisine from executive chef, Mark Lund and his culinary team.

An area that is never short-changed is the kitchens, which feature high-quality equipment made in the USA, such as Alto-Shaam foodservice equipment. Lund and his team of 170 are very particular about the type of foodservice equipment that is used at Peppermill Reno and for good reason. The staff dishes out anywhere from 25,000 to over 80,000 meals weekly depending on the season.

Throughout the property, there are well over 150 products from Alto-Shaam, not including a recent order Lund put in for new Combitherm® ovens, QuickChiller™  blast chillers and warmers for a their banquet facility. Lund and team uses Cook & Hold ovens throughout the entire property, including the buffet, banquet centers, employee dining, room service kitchen, coffee shop and Biscotti’s. In addition, there are 52 banquet carts, six heated holding cabinets, multiple combi ovens, plus many new Alto-Shaam warmers that are replacing old ones throughout the property.

“We are typically running a very high room occupancy, so we are always busy. Thirteen of our kitchens are used extensively every day,” said Lund. “With that high of demand and a limited labor supply, we need equipment that is efficient and reliable. Alto-Shaam gives us all of those things in one package, which is the greatest gift ever.”