Culinary Center Supports Range of Foodservice Programs
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ON-SITE PROFILE
Metz Culinary & Catering
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies is
reprinted with permission by publisher
Zoomba Group. All rights reserved.
Culinary Center Supports Range
of Foodservice Programs
| By Donna Boss | The owners of Metz Culinary to children in after-school programs
Photos by Peter Acker Photography Management recognized a need in and for organizations such as Feeding
Florida to provide meals to organi- America in Tampa, Fla. The center
zations and businesses that require also serves corporate dining clients
large quantities of food, especially at offices and events such as the 2019
considering the significant growth World Rowing Championship in
in Florida’s senior population. Meals Sarasota, during which Metz pro-
produced at the three-year-old Metz vided 254,000 meals in 14 days. Other
Culinary & Catering in Sarasota, Fla., clients include the Red Cross and
serve seniors at congregate housing other groups who provide emer-
facilities, in adult daycare centers gency meals to municipal workers,
and in private homes in Florida, and organizations such as Manatee
Colorado, and other southeast and Meals on Wheels Plus, Mid-Florida
mid-Atlantic states. The center’s child Community Services, Saint Vincent
nutrition division prepares hot meals de Paul and Senior Friendship Center.
AUGUST 2021 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES 77
requires elements such as polyresin
(nonporous and easily cleanable) floors
and sloped drains that sit lower in the
Pots, pans and center of the floors so water flows easily
other utensils
have a specific
into the drains. An administrative office
storage place in is designated for USDA personnel who
the kitchen. The
rotary oven cooks
come to the facility to conduct inspec-
large quantities tions. USDA certification is required so
of proteins.
the center can ship meals from Florida
to states such as Georgia, Colorado and
South Carolina. The Florida Department
of Health, Hotel and Restaurant Division
also inspects the facility.
Product Arrival and
Production
Food and nonfood deliveries arrive in
bulk at the back door. Delivery staff
drive pallets on forklifts into a bulk
walk-in freezer, a bulk produce walk-in
cooler, a bulk meat cooler and a dairy
walk-in cooler. They also drive fork-
lifts with pallets of dry goods to racks
that hold the pallets.
A walk-in production cooler and a
walk-in production freezer sit nearby,
A cookline
contains a tilting
both of which hold food prepared
braising pan, a or packaged by the center’s staff and
steam-jacketed
kettle, a fryer, a
The culinary two weeks,” says Dan Thompson, gen- ready for delivery to clients.
combi oven and center occu- eral manager of the Metz Culinary and “All the refrigeration in this center,
two double-
stacked convec-
pies a site that Catering Center. This is Thompson’s including the 20-foot-high coolers and
tion ovens. The once housed a first foodservice culinary project; he freezers, are connected to a refrigera-
80-quart planetary
mixer and veg-
12,000-square- previously worked for 25 years at food tion rack system that has redundancy
etable wash sink foot manufactur- and beverage manufacturing compa- and backup so the refrigeration system
sit to the left of
the prep tables.
ing facility that nies. “The generator is necessary is always maintained and running effi-
was gutted and so we can keep two freezers running ciently,” says the project’s foodservice
rebuilt inside the at 20 degrees F below zero and consultant, Paul Guillaume, president,
building’s shell to become a culinary two refrigerators at 35 degrees F Professional Restaurants Incorporating
center. The company also occupies a to 38 degrees F. This refrigeration Design & Equipment Inc., Sarasota,
5,000-square-foot administrative space protects our $200,000 inventory.” Fla. “This high-efficiency refrigeration
that is adjacent to the original ware- The facility contains several system ramps up when more cooling is
house. Located near two access roads production areas so staff can produce needed and ramps down when as much
to Interstate 75, a main thoroughfare meals simultaneously for multiple cooling isn’t needed. This cuts down on
in Florida and a hurricane evacuation clients with different needs. “We the number of compressors that would
route, the center is hurricane-proofed designed the facility with ease of have been needed to produce this high
inside and outside for winds greater production flow from receiving to volume of food.”
than 175 mph and water penetration, production to packaging to shipping,” With this system, if one of the
which this area in Florida frequently says Thompson. “The whole system compressors goes out, that compressor
experiences. has to be seamless in order to prepare is shut down and isolated out of the
“We have a large-capacity genera- and package meals for all the different system so it doesn’t corrupt the rest of
tor that is fueled by diesel fuel that can clientele simultaneously.” the system. The system automatically
run nonstop on complete power for The center’s USDA certification contacts the service contractor. “This
78 FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • AUGUST 2021
ON-SITE PROFILE
way, the system keeps cooling until built-in filtration. Combi ovens cook ventilation system monitors the level
a serviceperson arrives to repair the pasta and proteins, and two double- of cooking activity and automatically
system,” Guillaume says. stacked convections heat vegetables instructs the exhaust fan to operate
Staff break down pallets and take and proteins. only as needed. “The double canopy
ingredients they need into production The center also contains a 36-inch vented hood operates with a computer
areas. Staff prepare ingredients in cold countertop under-fired charbroiler, that regulates the airflow based on the
prep areas using three food slicers, sev- a refrigerator, a 36-inch countertop equipment beneath,” Thompson says.
eral worktables, sinks and shelves. For griddle and more fryers. On any given “The makeup air is air-conditioned, so
washing fruit and vegetables, staff use a day, staff may place these pieces on the it maintains a comfortable tempera-
two-compartment sink containing what cooklines and remove other equip- ture in the room for employees.”
Thompson calls a “produce jacuzzi” ment. “We designed the center to have In order for the plug-and-play
that scrubs the ingredients. Staff move plug-and-play equipment on casters so system to work, a utility distribu-
some ingredients into a peeler as the staff can change menus as needed,” tion system was
necessary. “For example, they can wash Guillaume says. installed so equip- Staff assemble,
package and
and peel 100 pounds of potatoes in 15 Exhaust hoods covering the cook- ment can run on label trays before
minutes,” Guillaume says. “They might ing equipment regenerate and recircu- gas, electricity and they are placed in
cardboard boxes
place the potatoes into a convection late air. The HVAC demand-control water. and then chilled or
steamer and into an 80-quart floor frozen and sent to
clients’ locations.
mixer to make mashed potatoes.”
Another cold prep area contains
two wall-mounted shelves, an air-
powered can opener, regular can
openers, several food processors
including a vertical cutter mixer and a
buffalo chopper, a reach-in refrigera-
tor, two wall-mounted hand sinks, a
worktable with a backsplash with an
undershelf, and a garbage disposer.
Staff cut fruit and vegetables or fur-
ther process it at worktables. They take
ingredients for salads or that require
further processing to the production
cooler. Ingredients needed immediately
go to the hot cooking areas.
Cooklines and Packaging Facts of Note
One cookline includes a 36-inch, Opened: Feb. 2018
6-open-burner range with an oven Scope of project: Gutted a manufacturing building and kept shell to build
beneath for heating sauces, a pair of new culinary center from the ground up. The for-profit facility provides USDA-
double-stacked convection ovens for certified meals for seniors at congregate operations, home delivery and adult
cooking vegetables and proteins; a daycare centers, children in after-school programs, and people in need of emer-
combi oven for cooking vegetables, gency food and services. It also provides food for catering clients.
proteins and pasta; and a boilerless con- Size: 22,000 sq. ft., including 17,000 sq. ft. for the culinary center, plus a
vection steamer for cooking vegetables. 5,000-sq.-ft. administrative space
Sitting back to back with this line, Meals produced per week: 25,000 currently; almost 43,000 a day during 2020
another line contains a 40-gallon pandemic period to support senior programs and emergency services programs
tilting braising kettle for cooking Hours: 4 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday
pasta, spaghetti sauce, beef stroganoff, to Menu specialties: Shelf-stable meals for emergency services provided by
cook bones for sauces, demi-glace for American Red Cross
gravies and sauces; a 60-gallon steam- Staff: 34
jacketed kettle for cooking sauces Website: cateringbymetz.com
and soups; and a deep-fat fryer with
AUGUST 2021 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES 79
ON-SITE PROFILE
Key Players
Ownership: Metz Culinary Management, Dallas, Penn.
Owner and chairman of the board: John Metz Sr.
General manager of site location: Dan Thompson
Catering director: Becky Souflis
Vice president of sales and business development in
Florida: Jack Brill
Executive chef: Nello Allegrucci, CEC, AAC
Sous chef: Aaron Chavarria
Architect: Hoyt Architects, Sarasota, Fla.:
Chris Gallagher, NCARB, partner
Foodservice consultant: Professional Restaurants
Incorporating Design & Equipment Inc., Sarasota, Fla.:
Paul Guillaume, president
Equipment dealer: Edward Don & Company,
Staff organize
and pack boxes Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
with meals before General contractor/construction: Stellar Management,
placing them in
delivery trucks. Sarasota, Fla.
The Metz Culinary
A fire suppression system production cooler or & Catering team,
that includes flood coverage protects production freezer until it from left: Lyndsy
McDonald, Nello
all of the equipment from end to is needed for packaging. Allegrucci, John
end regardless of what equipment is The packaging Metz Sr. and Dan
Thompson.
around and under the hood. “The fire area contains a 16-foot
suppression system was designed this conveyor where staff plate cold or
way to give the culinary center the hot food into trays that can be heated
flexibility to change configurations of and microwaved. A vacuum packaging
the equipment and the menus without machine automatically seals the trays.
having to adjust the fire suppression A staff member places nutritional labels
system,” Guillaume says. on the film covering each tray. Staff the garbage and makes handling waste
Another area contains two ice place 25 menu items into each corru- easier,” Guillaume says.
bins and an ice maker without a bin. gated cardboard box and load each box The area also contains a three-
Adjacent to storage racks for pots, onto a mobile cart and transport it into compartment sink, a wall-mount pot
pans and other utensils, a high-speed the production cooler or freezer. Meals filler faucet, a high-temperature ware-
rotary oven cooks proteins. It can heat are held for at least 48 hours before they washer that is a rack conveyor with a
7,000 chicken nuggets in 15 minutes. are transported to clients, though meals condensate hood overhead, pot and pan
After staff prepare hot food, they have a six-month shelf life. “The chef- shelving, an L-shaped soiled dish table, a
transport it to various areas, depending inspired menu items are infused with clean dish table, dishrack dollies, a four-
on its final destination. They place hot specialty spices, which cuts the shelf wheel dolly and a glass rack pull overshelf
and cold bulk food into hot and cold life to six months compared with many that prevents glasses from breaking.
containers. The containers then make manufacturers whose products have a The center also contains an
their way into temperature-regulated year shelf life,” Thompson says. employee lounge where staff members
delivery trucks for transporting to Delivery trucks are kept at can relax and eat during their shifts.
clients’ locations. Some food gets sent 35 degrees F to keep food cold or at As institutions and businesses ease
in cold and hot cabinets so it can be 165 degrees F for hot food. The center’s into more regular modes of operation,
served from there for catered events. trucks make in-state deliveries, while the Metz Culinary & Catering facility
“We might set up a mobile kitchen third-party trucks contracted by the will adjust its production to meet new
with mobile sinks at each site so we center make out-of-state deliveries. demands for food. The design, which
can either serve food from the mobile At the center, one warewashing area allows an ease of production flow from
cabinets or heat it again in mobile supports the entire facility. “A scrapping receiving to production to packaging
ovens on-site,” Thompson says. system automatically removes garbage to shipping, supports the center
Staff may also take hot food to from the pots and pans and breaks well during emergency and regular
a blast chiller/freezer and/or the down solubles, which basically cleans situations. FE&S
80 FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • AUGUST 2021
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