What are the origins of Caffè Marziali and how did the idea of Caffè Ristorante Marziali come about?

When we talk about Caffè Marziali in Rome we go back in time to the historic Marziali coffee roaster founded by Leone in 1922, in the same area near Via Salaria in the heart of Rome.

After almost 100 years we’re back here with a new catering concept: the Marziali café-restaurant.

A bar that sets out to offer an original catering service in step with the times yet without overlooking tradition.

    What type of clientele do you cater to and what type of service do you offer?

Given the dual personality of bar and restaurant, our customers come in two types: those looking for a good blend of coffee to buy as a distributor and an end customer who wants to try it out, tasting fresh and ready-to-eat local products. A type that identifies with people such as managers, people travelling for work who don’t want to forgo quality while travelling.

   You have gone from the aroma of coffee to savoury flavours, offering a more complete catering service. How do you combine the two types of product?

Our focal point is the team. Our staff is qualified and specialised in the different areas: roasting, the coffee blends to be selected, management of the bar and the cooking side headed by the chef who takes care of the choice of raw materials, the blends of flours. Teamwork is therefore essential to ensure excellent service and to respond to the different types of customers.

 On the subject of raw materials, how do you choose those used in your food & beverage range?

Our mentor was Renato, the son of the founder Leone, who taught us an important concept: once you have chosen a good raw material you need to take care of it and know how to use it carefully. That's why our meats are all local and doc, our fruit juices are nectars chosen from selected suppliers. The same goes for all the food we use.

 What is never missing in your bar-restaurant? And what do you think should never be missing in the bar-restaurant in terms of service and quality?

Of course, there is never a lack of hospitality, courtesy and a focus on changing customer needs. The staff is and must be trained in this respect. The focal element is always the human relationship.

What are the needs of a café-restaurant?

The needs are created according to market demand. You always have to be on the ball and ahead of requirements. For this reason it’s essential to have valid and reliable equipment, suppliers who guarantee good, timely and quality technical support. You can't be everywhere and improvise in every field. That’s why it’s important to be able to delegate any problems to be solved to professionals.

 Speaking of needs, what do you expect from professional catering equipment in general and in your context in particular?

Our idea is that the choice of catering equipment is an investment and not a cost.

There should always be easy maintenance, the possibility of being supported and to be able to carry out the processes according to best practice.

How did you get to know the Baron brand of professional kitchens and what are the features that made it suitable for your set-up?

Baron is a brand that makes itself felt, known in the industry for its impressiveness and reliability. The consultant from Gn arredamenti guided us in our process of restructuring and the Baron brand seemed to us the most suitable solution for providing an original service, different and in another class.

Speaking of flavours, the chef of Bottega Vittoria Restaurant, Nicholai Popov offers some tips about his role.

• What’s the dish on your menu that you most like to prepare? And which is the most complex?

The dish I love most to prepare and where I feel most creative is risotto. Made with veal sweetbreads, prawns and liquorice, it’s certainly a mix of interesting and special flavours.

The demanding dishes are also the ones that give most satisfaction and therefore preparing crispy scallops with sauces and foams with strong flavours is a pleasure for us.

•      What is a chef’s greatest wish? What is yours right now?

Chefs have so many wishes that just pile up! Definitely to find a crew and a team to work with and trust. Personally, then, there are the more hidden dreams that start from the satisfaction of the most demanding customer up to recognition as a chef, which you try to achieve by chasing the (Michelin) "stars".

•      What pays the most, tradition or innovation?

Tradition is the basis from which to start and which gives a soul to the dishes and to your service. Innovation is the means of conveying it and of putting over the passion for this work that is very hard yet unique in the world. One depends the other. Together they can give a lot. By innovating tradition, even the most demanding customer can be satisfied.

 Considering  the functional aspect, Gianfranco and Andrea from the BZ Group design studio reveal to us how the stages of designing and building Bottega Vittoria were carried out.

•  How did the restaurant and bar design project develop and how did you choose the most suitable suppliers?

The Bottega Vittoria restaurant was developed from an existing design with an extension that led to a service of about 150 covers in a very touristy area, Piazza Risorgimento, a few steps from the Vatican. In addition to the bar service, the restaurant with meat and pizzeria was added.

•      How did you combine the need for fast service with intense flows with the attractiveness of the design and the quality of the structure?

We carried out an important study, with the division of spaces between restaurant and kitchen where a large number of staff members have to move around. We created environments where every single person can focus on the processing of a product. The aim was to give flexibility, modularity and speed in service without sacrificing quality during intense flows.

•    How important are the modularity and flexibility of the professional kitchens to be installed in a context like this?

They are fundamental and the equipment has played a fundamental role. In spaces like these, where design has to be combined with small spaces that have to give great performances, the choice of machinery that is easy to manage and clean and is reliable allows you to manage and organise the entire service in the best possible way.

Baron has helped us in this respect. The choice fell on a valiant brand that gives security to the chef and staff and guarantees an excellent after-sales service thanks to the sales network and partners.

Pan-fry vegetables, create Pad-thai and fun solutions like sauteed rice, crunchy vegetables and quick dishes.

WHAT PERFORMANCES DOES IT GUARANTEE?

You can choose between 10 kw, 14 kw burners for venting heat.

•Worktops with a 20/10 thickness with 550x520 mm or 950x520 mm for the 700 range

• Right rear drain with a 22 mm diameter, configured for earth connection

• With grease collection draw

IS CLEANING  EASY?

You can clean it very quickly thanks to a service drawer where any dirt stops, easy to remove and clean. The floor where you can pour the water is easily washable to avoid getting dirty and always keeping the wok perfect.

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?

CLICK HERE to see DayDream Island Resort organized the kitchen area with  the wok and the Teppanyaki plate in their restaurant.

LAYOUT AND SPACE OPTIMIZATION IN A PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN

The final objectives of every choice are greater spontaneity and performance at work, whilst offering high quality and a unique customer experience.

In a modular kitchen best use is made of depth, then, in accordance with customer specifications, a project is created that is designed to meet customer requirements. Modular kitchens offer greater flexibility whilst facilitating design and use.

The kitchen with one-piece worktop is custom built, designed to last and make best use of central areas by creating ingenious, flexible workflows.

These areas take on an essential role during both design and use. A bespoke one-piece worktop is designed to meet the chef’s specific requirements, guaranteeing smooth, flowing movements and easy cleaning.

The open-view kitchen means that the customer can not only savour the chef’s creations, but also witness their preparation.

Maximum transparency is offered along the entire production line, whilst also highlighting the design and layout that enhance the kitchen’s appearance,

The choice is yours.

Australia's First Choice For European Kitchen Equipment

With plenty of choice and competition in the food service industry Baron has proved again to be the most loved European brand in the Australian market, with over four times as many pieces of Baron equipment installed than its closest competitor brand, this year alone.

For over 20 years, Baron has been developing, mastering and producing what can be described as the most durable, reliable and affordable equipment for commercial kitchens. Their ambition has always been to satisfy the food service industry with the best quality and easy to use equipment from hospitals and schools to fine dining restaurants and fast food chains.

Never the type to rest on their laurels, Baron is always researching new ways to improve their range of commercial equipment, focusing on all possible aspects such as technology, materials and design. With over 4,000 products in the Baron catalogue and bespoke solutions available, their is something for every type of customer.

With the above in mind we will have some exciting news that will be revealed for you all in the new year regarding the Baron range, which we think will be the perfect way to start 2019!

HOSTELCO 2018

The Hotel & Restaurant Trade Show which bring together a vast range of food and equipment producers and suppliers of the world.

You will discover a new evolution of fryers, special projects and multifunctional coooking.

Come to visit us at Stand 549- Gran Via Barcelona -Pavillion N. 8. - Nivel 0.

GAST 2018

Join us to Split Gast 2018 with Omrčen Promet from the 28.02 to 03.03 in Spaladium arena.

Come to discover Talent Multifunction. Our chef will show how to cook in 7 different ways with one equipment!

See you in Spalato!

THE PROFESSIONAL NURSERY KITCHEN

Jonathan Player knows it very well and it is why he identified this in his role managing a group of day nursery schools. Jonathan and his father John own the Seymour House Day Nursery School, a 24 Nursery Schools structure located in Essex (London) and in the surrounding area.

Instead of cooking from scratch in each of the schools they decided to have everything made in a purpose made “Central Production Unit” so they could control the quality, nutritional values and costs for all their schools.

For such a large operation they needed the help of a Catering Designer and project manager for the whole installation and selected Steve Hammond, Managing Director of PHCC Ltd from Shenfield, local to the project... When it came to the Catering Equipment supply, Steve mainly turned to the brand Baron Kitchens for professionals, which has been distributed from Universal Foodservice Equipment for 16 years in UK.

Let’s discover more about this interesting project through the impressions of Steve Hammond.

1 Let’s Talk about PHCC LTD.

PHCC Ltd is a design, supply and project management company based in Shenfield, Essex (UK). It is owned and managed by Steve Hammond who has many years and wide experience in the Catering Equipment Market. His Company deals with Blue chip companies and has designed and supplied companies like Giraffe Restaurants, Browns Hotel , London, The Howard Hotel London as well as many YO SUSHI restaurants which he is still involved with, and supplied most of them with Baron Equipment.

2. What are the most important aspects to consider when designing a professional kitchen like the one in The Professional Nursery Kitchen?

Obviously space planning and flow of staff and food are vitally important but so is the selection of materials, ventilation and food temperature control. With these are considerations to all food hygiene requirements and all environmental laws to be attained.

From then is the selection of equipment? Is it environmentally up to speed, is it durable to stand the test of time, is its performance good and reliability sound and equally will the company supplying the equipment be able to support the products with a good parts and service support.

I have used Baron in many projects and their new high tech Bratt pans and Combination Ovens are perfect for this kind of project. Because they are really flexible and they can be used in various type of structures: hotels, restaurants and also in central cooking unit used to cater as in the case of the Seymour nurseries center.

3. How to combine efficiency and design?

Space planning is vitally important as if you get it wrong, the whole of the design might fail. So first in any design I plan the space requirement which often depends on the shape of the building which sometimes restricts what we can do and so have to compromise. On new builds, like this latest CPU for the Professional Kitchen, we were brought into the project by the Player Family even before a brick had been laid and were able to produce a really efficient plan and produce drawings for the M&E contractor for services and the Builder so that they could start their work. After that we worked with the client to decide operational needs, food production capacity requirement, staffing levels and legislation.

From those elements we then started to think about equipment and its performance levels. We chose the Ali Group brand Baron Kitchens for professionals and in conjunction with Roger Flanagan of Universal, the detailing began to take shape to eventually at a point a final design and Specification was achieved.

4. What are the most hygienic and safety parameters to consider when you plan a professional kitchen?

There are many regulations anyone designing a new kitchen must comply with all mostly covered in the UK by “The Food Safety Act” and they all have to fit the industry and European standards, which sets out the regulations for the storage, preparation, serving of food and the flow of food and dishes plus many other areas to ensure the safety of fresh and raw food during its process through the operation.

This regulation covers almost all but there are others to consider:

- Ventilation Regulations have to comply with inside and outdoor air quality;

- Water and waste are covered by the WRASS regulations to prevent cross contamination (Waste and incoming water);

-Finishes should be impervious and non-absorbent and easily cleaned and subject to “Building Regulations”;

-All services have their own (Gas/Water/Waste/Electrical) controls to consider also;

-Catering equipment carries its own requirements which also are numerous to ensure all is safe and presents no danger to the user.

5. How did the relationship with Baron take shape?

It all happened at the beginning with a project for Browns Hotel in London. Universal first met Steve when he specified and designed Baron Kitchens for professionals in the world famous Browns Hotel in London. The first cooperation between PHCC and Universal and in fact Baron’s first ever order in the UK in the year 2000 and it’s still going after 17 years, a testament to the Baron quality, elegance, solidity and strength.

After the success of that project Steve started to promote the Baron kitchens for professionals brand and the personal friendship between him and Roger Flanagan grew into a really close and growing business.

I have used Baron in many projects from Casual Dining to Hotels and Chain brands to Premier Dining operations and recently two huge Central Production Units, both of which I chose Baron for their solidity and reliability.

The reaction from day nurseries has been fantastic, with fifteen joining when the service has started on the 1st of May. The Managers and staff of those settings have said how they now feel more able to meet children’s dietary needs and parent’s expectations. They said how they feel supported by a team of professionals, able to seek advice and as a result, more confident talking to parents.

Designing a kitchen could not be easy, but is very challenging! 

This is the story of Seymour House Day Nursery School and Baron...do you want to tell us the story of your restaurant? 

Send an email to marketing@baronprofessional.com

User-friendly touch screen panel

Control panel with 7" high-resolution touch screen display and electronic controller for managing: cooking temperature, frying programmes, HACCP alarms, tank cleaning cycle, preheating and 100 °C setpoint function and system diagnostics.

Automatic gas ignition

A quick, easy and reliable operation with the aid of electronic flame control.

Oil circulation and filtering

The Baron system means that filling and draining oil is
no longer a problem. Even cleaning the tank will be much simpler and faster.

HIGH LOW heating

In both electric and gas versions, power modulation enables gradual preheating and control over small batches of food.

Automatic basket lift

A practical basket lift system lets you work quickly and efficiently. By programming the recipes on the touch screen panel, the basket is automatically raised when the set frying time has expired, ensuring you will always enjoy excellent results at just the right moment. To increase your freedom of choice, the baskets can also be used in manual mode.

L'ASTRAKO RESTAURANT.  A KITCHEN THAT REACHES FOR THE STARS

Born in Marsala, Sicily,  he has been turning his passion into a job for 20 years. We are speaking about Nicola Sammartano, Executive chef of “L’Astrako” Restaurant, recently opened in Favignana, a beautiful island situated in Sicily.

When he was 18 years old he moved to Naples where he worked and trained himself in the catering by “L’Antica Pasticceria Mungiguerra”, situated in Aversa, and then in the gastronomy at the “Four stars Hotel Marcantonio”.

Let's learn more about his story....

 Did you always wanted to become a chef?

I say that it was written in the stars. I’m come from three restaurants’ generation, I’m grown in this location and I always wanted to express this passion and transmit it to people with my creation.

How do you choose the products to use in your courses?

I choose the quality and the genuineness, not only entrusting to everyday vendors, but also going personally to the market, where I can find traditional aromas and flavours, in particular the ones of my land, Sicily.

Speaking about food, Made in Italy has always been synonymous of excellence. How does the international cuisine influence it?

Made in Italy always makes us stand out in the world. I’m tied to Italian typical products and tradition, and I get inspiration from Italian gastronomy Academy history and slow food, but I use also all the incitements and the innovative ideas coming from international cuisine.

 How much is important the technology in the professional restaurant industry for a chef nowadays?

Despite I’m still fascinated by the traditional cooking with wood oven, I’m aware of the importance of technology for a chef because permits you to manage and optimize the work, to reduce cooking times and to store food perfectly ensuring the highest cleanliness level.

Where do you get the inspiration for your courses?

The inspiration…weel, let me thank…it cannot be revealed....! Seriously, I get inspiration from the sea, the wind and the sky, from Sicilys’ flavours, while I speak with fishermen and I enter in old small stores. I try to not repeat myself while I am cooking and to follow the inspiration of the moment realizing something good and out of the ordinary.

Let’s speak about technology. Why did you choose Baron?

I chose Baron because you can find uniqueness and elegance in its lines. Baron strike you for his roundedness and the peculiarity of the elements and the beauty and solidity of the steel. Baron gives you functionality and permits you to move with naturalness in the kitchen. It has something extraordinary but it give you safety and professionalism.

Tell more about “the soul” of this restaurant.

To find out the soul of the restaurant you should go upstairs and... looking at the sky....!

The name is Astrako, because “Astrachi”, in sicilian dialect means “ roofs”. In the ancient Sicilian houses, during summer nights, people used to get up to the roof, spending time speaking about the day passed, sipping good wine and enjoying the sea breeze. At the Astrako, when you will get to the penthouse, you will relive this tradition, tasting delicious fresh fish and looking at the stars.

I chose this name personally together with the restaurant owner, engeneer Russo and his brother Gianfranco. We are sure that it will give an original touch to the location.

Which is the course of your menu you particulary love?

All my courses were born from a signature kitchen. In fact I sign all my menus. Regarding to the Astrako menu, certainly I will work towards about the offers of the sea of Sicily.

The course that I suggest is: truffle sea with red shrimp on a oysters mush.

What’s the most important desire for a chef?

I’ve never tought about it....sincerely noboby never asked me this question!

I think that is the longing to do a good job, transmitting the passion that I have for cooking through my creations and realizing that customers trust me and appreciate my talent and my effort to get better every day.

This is the story of L'Astrako restaurant and Baron.  Do you want to tell us the story of your restaurant?

Send an email to marketing@baronprofessional.com

NEW DROP-IN LINE

Compatible with every type of design, including open-plan, the Baron Drop-in line makes the most of available space.
It also offers a wide range of bespoke inset solutions.
A complete and versatile inset range.
A touch of style in the kitchen with two installation options.