20 Award-Winning Foodservice Products
By Alaina Lancaster on Mar. 09, 2018CHICAGO -- Spanning nearly 700,000 square feet, the National Restaurant Association Show can be a bit overwhelming. Last year, 66,000 attendees descended on Chicago’s McCormick Place to see the latest foodservice trends. Ahead of this year's event, to be held May 19-21, independent judges honored pioneering back-of-house technology and groundbreaking food and beverage products for the Kitchen Innovations Awards and Food and Beverage Awards, respectively.
Here’s a preview of some of the boundary-pushing tools of the trade that will be on display ...
1. Atalanta Corp.
Atalanta Corp. created Caffe Vergnano compostable espresso capsules to address consumers’ sustainability concerns. Compatible with Nespresso machines, Espresso 1882 compostable capsules offer a premium, green alternative to traditional pods. The company even reworked the box and wrapper to meet eco-sustainable recycling standards.
2. Air Oasis
Air Oasis' Bi-Polar Ice BPi200 sanitizes ice without creating ozone, unlike some of its UV light counterparts. The BPi200 uses a small electrical housing and carbon-fiber brushes to release airborne positive hydrogen and negative oxygen ions throughout the ice machine. The company says the compact unit reduces contaminants, such as mold, yeast, bacteria and viruses.
3. Earnest Eats
With 15 grams of grass-fed whey and 1 billion probiotics, Earnest Eats' Pro: Protein + Probiotic Oatmeal aids in digestion and protein utilization, according to the company. Quinoa, oats and amaranth combine to meet consumers’ hunger for superfoods.
4. Antunes
The Antunes GST-1H Flatbread-Toaster brings uncooked flour tortillas up to 160 degrees in seconds. A wide-mouth opening and dual conveyor belts combine to create a quick, consistent heating option for foodservice operators. During busy dayparts, a heated landing zone helps to ensure the product doesn’t cool before it reaches guests.
5. Gator Pears
Gator Pears Guacamole was awarded for its Mild 100-calorie portion packs. The 1.27-ounce portion comes in an easy-to-open pack that allows foodservice retailers to offer guacamole without having to worry about procuring and prepping ripe avocados. Made with 100% Mexican hass avocados, Gator Pears Guacamole gives the operator year-round consistency.
6. Astra Shunsuke
As retailers develop more from-scratch menu items, a new peeling machine from Astra Shunsuke can help automate labor-intensive fruit and vegetable peeling. Users can program the device to cut produce, such as apples, kiwis, oranges and potatoes, to varying specifications. Two sizes accommodate both smaller and larger operations.
7. Impossible Foods
With menu appearances at Umami Burger, Wahlburgers and The Cheesecake Factory, Impossible Foods' Impossible Burger is a plant-based burger made from water, wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein and heme, an iron-dense molecule native to red meat. The result is a vegetarian burger that mimics the taste and texture of real beef.
8. Bizerba North America
Bizerba North America's GSP H & HD Illuminated Safety Slicers prioritize the safety of users with color-coded lights. Solid green signifies safe mode with the blade removed, flashing red is for pre-run, and solid red indicates the blade is rotating and ready to slice.
9. La Colombe
La Colombe's Draft Latte cold-coffee beverage uses a patent-pending InnoValve can to create a foamy, ready-to-drink latte. The drink gives retailers the opportunity to offer cafe-style beverages without an espresso machine.
10. Garland Instinct
Garland Instinct combines both cook and hold functions in its new Induction Countertop line, the first multi-sensor induction countertop line to do so, according to the company. It also measures temperatures across its entire surface and adjusts frequency on each cook zone to match different pan specifications.
11. Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co.
Building on the popularity of kombucha and other health-forward beverages, the new Matcha Lemonade from Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co. is made with just water, Florida pure cane sugar, lemons and brewed matcha. Besides its minimalist preparation, health-conscious consumers might also appreciate that the beverage offers vitamin C and antioxidants.
12. Genius Pan LLC
Keeping salad bars and prep lines looking fresh is nearly a full-time job. With the Genius Pan, retailers can adjust the pan up and down in the well to keep the offerings looking bountiful without additional waste.
13. Markov
Markov's Level RF Oven uses radio frequency and artificial intelligence to simultaneously cook multiple products. The ventless Level RF Oven recognizes food items and directs radio frequency energy to cook them to customizable standards for internal temperature and surface doneness, allowing for their synchronized completion.
14. Pete's Living Greens
Retailers can bring sea bean into stores with Pete’s Living Greens’ hydroponically grown salicornia (or "sea beans”). With a salty sea flavor and grassy aftertaste, the green can add an authentic, coastal flavor to menu items.
15. Marra Forni
Marra Forni's Electric Brick Oven features an open mouth with cooking temps up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Sorrento refractory brick walls help seal in heat for maximum energy efficiency. The appliance takes just 45 seconds to cook pizza and can average 200 pies per hour.
16. Seascape Foods
As a protein-rich alternative to french fries, Seascape Foods has created battered French Fried Butter Beans. The crunchy snack can help retailers appeal to health-conscious customers.
17. Multiplex
The FreshBlender is a self-serve system from Multiplex, a Welbilt Brand, that lets guests make frozen, blended beverages in less than 2 minutes. The 20-by-39-inch machine refrigerates, makes ice, blends and dispenses for hundreds of self-served drinks per day. Operators will receive a payback in under a year, according to the company.
18. Sweet Street
Sweet Street's Manifesto Gluten-Free Brownies are individually wrapped and made with dark Honduran chocolate from a women’s cocoa collective, appealing to customers who value transparency and social responsibility. The treat also hits on consumer health trends with a gluten-free flour mix and cage-free eggs.
19. Sealed Air Corp.
To help reduce labor and food waste, Sealed Air’s new Cryovac FlexPrep EZ Dispensing system uses prefilled Cryovac pouches with frangible seals fitted to operations’ dispensers. Staff need only pull the trigger, reducing food safety risks, according to the company.
20. Eli’s Cheesecake Co.
Made in small batches with sliced almonds, a housemade honey glaze and Eli’s signature shortbread cookie crust, Eli’s Cheesecake Co.'s Florentine Honey Almond Bars appeal to consumers interested in artisanal goods, according to the company. Students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences harvest the honey, and proceeds go toward college scholarships.