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Le Cordon Bleu specifies hi tech, sustainable refrigeration

When Le Cordon Bleu decided to create an International Flagship Institute in London, much of the catering equipment specified for the new kitchens was supplied by The AFE Group.

Le Cordon Bleu specifies hi tech, sustainable refrigeration

Le Cordon Bleu has been teaching classic culinary techniques for over 100 years.  A world renowned network of educational institutions that provides the highest level of culinary and hospitality instruction, operating 40 schools in 20 countries and teaching over 20,000 students annually.  When Le Cordon Bleu decided to create an International Flagship Institute in London, much of the catering equipment specified for the new kitchens was supplied by The AFE Group, including refrigeration from Williams, prime cooking equipment from Falcon and specialist bakery models from Mono.  The equipment was supplied and installed by Court Catering.

"50% of our students go on to 4 or 5 star establishments like the Dorchester and the Savoy, a further 40% open their own businesses," says Larry Montack, Head of Institute.  "They expect to be using the very best facilities.  At the same time, the kitchens are in constant, heavy use.  So the catering equipment has to be top quality, robust and absolutely reliable."

"Internationally Le Cordon Bleu offers in excess of 50 different courses, and the London campus has facilities such as classrooms with interactive technology.  This means we can increase the breadth of courses available to include those in wine and management.  Prior to the development we had in depth discussions with colleagues from around the world to research everything we had achieved over the past ten years in terms of new sites and courses.  London was an opportunity to review our developments, to select the best and most successful initiatives and ensure that we were developing an Institute for the future, including the most technologically advanced catering equipment."

The shopping cart for the refrigeration equipment included 53 cabinets / counters, 6 blast chillers, 7 retarder provers and 5 modular coldrooms, all featuring the latest refrigeration technologies.  Cabinets and counters were supplied with CoolSmart controllers, which monitor the equipment operation, only turning on the refrigeration system when it is needed in order to minimise power consumption.  The institute's new blast chillers use WEB (Williams Easy Blast) controllers, which are extremely simple to operate.

Sustainability was another key factor in terms of equipment specification.  "As an organisation we are committed to minimising our carbon footprint and protecting the environment.  Sustainsble technology goes hand in hand with financial efficiency so investing in quality, longer lasting equipment makes sound business sense to us."

Williams, Falcon and Mono all adopt the AFE Greenlogic initiative, which focuses on helping operators reduce their carbon footprint.  As well as developing 'greener' technologies, this involves helping customers to better understand their buying choices: how particular model variations will impact on sustainability, waste reduction and power consumption.

The kitchens in the new institute include a basement production kitchen, which produces ingredients for classes; several demonstration areas; a world cuisine kitchen that features equipment such as a tandoori oven; boulangerie, bakery and patisserie areas; and a polyvalent kitchen on the third floor which is designed to adapt to whatever is required - from cuisine kitchen to patisserie.  "In fact, all the kitchens are multi-purpose.  Given the huge range of courses we offer, they have to be.  Again, the equipment we specified had to be able to accommodate that flexibility."

The flexibility of Williams' coldroom designs meant the company was able to supply five units, each tailored for a specific storage purpose; fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, general products and a freezer room.

The equipment was supplied and installed by Court Catering whose Managing Director Nick Howe says: "As you would expect with such a prestigious project, the client's requirements were very demanding.  The equipment alone was valued at £1.25m and the shopping cart included 51 induction ranges, 21 induction hobs and 79 refrigerated cabinets."

Read the Le Cordon Bleu case study here.