NEWS

National Restaurant Association Announces 2008 Kitchen Innovations™ Award Recipients Record-breaking number of equipment products to receive award and be showcased at the 2008 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago. Read more here. Sale to Ali Group, Energy Star Award Highlight AFE's 2007 For the AFE companies-Eloma, Infinity Fryers, Stellar Steam and Victory Refrigeration-2007 was a year of changes, challenges, and successes. According to Mark Whalen, president of AFE and of Victory Refrigeration, the most significant event to impact these companies in 2007 was the Ali Group's purchase of foodservice and bakery equipment companies from Aga Foodservice, which was completed in December. Aga announced its intentions to sell these companies in July. After a bidding period, in October, the Ali Group emerged as the winning bidder-a fortunate turn of events for the companies, said Whalen. Read more here. Eloma, Stellar Showcase Newest Units In New York This year's International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, held in New York City from November 10th through November 13th afforded Aga Foodservice Equipment brands Eloma and Stellar Steam an opportunity to put new models prominently on display to a surprisingly wide cross-section of potential customers. According to Mitch Cohen, vice president of cooking system sales for Eloma, Stellar Steam and Infinity Fryers, traffic at the AFE booth during the show was solid, in terms of both volume and quality of booth visitors. Read more here Eloma, Stellar Showcase New Products At NAFEM Eloma and Stellar Steam entered the 2007 NAFEM Show, which took place from October 11 to October 13 in Atlanta, seeking to build further industry brand awareness and to give large numbers of foodservice professionals their first look at several recently introduced products. According to Mitch Cohen, vice president of cooking system sales for Aga Foodservice Equipment companies Eloma and Stellar Steam, as well as Infinity Fryers, the first part of this task was accomplished at the show in part through the popular practice of hosting live cooking demonstrations, which were performed, in this case, on Eloma combi ovens. Samples of the meal items produced by the AFE equipment and corporate chefs was on offer throughout the show. Read more here Sales, Product Lines Grew in 2007 for Eloma, Stellar The year 2007 was an overall success for AFE companies Eloma and Stellar Steam, according to Mitch Cohen, vice president of cooking system sales for the two manufacturers, as well as for Infinity Fryers. On the product front, both companies introduced new lines in 2007. Stellar rolled out its fully portable Polaris catering steamer-a connectionless steamer that is fired by a 30-lb. propane tank and sits on a cart equipped with heavy-duty casters. Eloma introduced two lines over the course of the year: the countertop Joker combi oven, designed for smaller operations where space is at a premium; and the Multimax B series, which offers most of the features of the company's high-end Genius T line, but is equipped with a traditional knob-based control panel. Members of the foodservice industry greeted all three product lines with enthusiasm, Cohen stated. Read more here. Stellar's New Polaris Catering Model Enables Steaming On The Go Cherry Hill, NJ, August 2007 -- For too long, caterers and other foodservice operators working in non-traditional and on-site environments have been forced to prepare menus with a limited set of tools. Sometimes, they've had to rely on hot-side equipment using only one connection, such as a portable electric oven. At outdoor events, connectionless pieces such as propane or charcoal grills have been the norm. Read more here. Stellar's And Eloma's Boilerless Designs Provide Reliability, High Output If there is one thing that distinguishes casino foodservice operations from most others it is the constant, high demand staff place on their equipment. Most casinos offer buffets and other foodservices that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while their catering operations are regularly asked to serve thousands of people at once. Read more here. Stellar Introduces Boilerless Portable Catering Steamer "If it's new, it's at NAFEM," is one of the most time-honored phrases in the foodservice equipment industry. Stellar Steam, an AGA Foodservice Equipment brand, is doing its part to keep it that way by showcasing its new Polaris catering steamer at the upcoming event. Read more here. For Aga Foodservice Equipment companies Eloma and Stellar Steam, 2007 has been a year to establish the infrastructure that will support sales and income growth in the months and years ahead. During the first half of the year, the companies have beefed-up their manufacturer's representative networks and established ties with service agencies across the nation. In addition, AFE has added several locations where customers can see Eloma combi ovens and Stellar steamers, as well as Infinity-brand fryers, demonstrated live by the company's corporate chefs. Read more here. An Array Of Stellar Models Lights Up Western Restaurant Show Stellar steamers were much in evidence on the exhibit floor of the recent Western Restaurant Show in Los Angeles, CA, appearing both in the Aga Foodservice Equipment booth (#1359) and a s part of a display of some of the most energy-efficient foodservice equipment now on the market, which was presented by ENERGY STAR® and several Southern California-based utility companies. Read more here. Stellar Continues To Ascend At NRA 2006 "For us at Stellar, the overall NRA show experience this year was a pleasant surprise," remarked Bob McLoughlin, the company's VP of Product Management. "This was our first year sharing a national-scale stage with our Aga Foodservice Equipment sister companies, and it was gratifying to see the amount of booth traffic and purchasing interest we received." Read more here. Why Stellar's A Brighter Idea From its multi-patented boilerless technology to its innovative design that dramatically cuts water and energy usage, Stellar steamers stand out as top performers among older traditional models. Read more here. Operators find New Generation of Boilerless Steamers to be A Better Technology Although traditional boiler-based steamers have been operating in professional U.S. kitchens since shortly after World War II, the technology and performance of contemporary steamers continues to evolve. Bob McLoughlin, VP of Sales for Stellar Steamers, an AFE company, noted that though the descendents of the original pressure steamers of the late-‘40s (with locking doors) are still in use, their sales now represent less than 10% of the $100 million U.S. steamer market. Read more here. Stellar Plans for Sales Growth as the Newest Member of the AFE Division The innovative and money-saving line of steam-cooking equipment from Stellar Steam is being ramped up for greater availability and more wide-spread promotion as a result of the company's integration into the new Aga Foodservice Equipment division. Bob McLoughlin, VP of Sales & Product Management for Stellar, said that this expansion plan is gaining momentum from the group's world-class manufacturing resources and emerging new market opportunities. Read more here. July, 2005 - AGA Foodservice Group acquires Stellar Steam product line from ColburnTreat , LLC. Read additional details here. New Enhancements Check out the significant enhancements to our convection boilerless steamers, improving cooking efficiency and speed and making them easier to use. Information on the Altair II and Sirius II are in the products section. Stadiums Choose Stellar Stellar has been a popular choice for Stadiums. Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers; Soldier Field in Chicago, home of the Chicago Fire soccer team and Chicago Bears football team; Jacksonville (Florida) Arena and several college stadiums now use Stellar's Capella model.  No water connection is needed - just plug it in and cook.  No boiler or internal plumbing means the steamer can sit unused between events without causing problems.  Consultants and Designers Stellar's CAD symbols have been updated by KCL and are on the latest CADalog.  The CAD symbols are also downloadable from the website.