2023 Press Releases
Rachel Wagner Joins Winston Foodservice
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice, a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, is happy to announce that Rachel Wagner has joined the company as the Customer Care Manager. She will be based in the company’s Louisville headquarters and will direct Winston’s Customer Care and Inside Sales teams.
Rachel has over ten years’ experience in restaurant operations and corporate restaurant support. She has a strong understanding of operators’ challenges and is enthusiastic about creating great customer experiences that lead to long-lasting relationships with Winston’s partners.
Winston’s Director of Foodservice Operations Kerrie Clifford said, “Rachel is a welcome addition to the Winston team. She brings over ten years of foodservice industry operations experience, a partner-centric mindset, and a passion for customer service.”
In her personal life, Rachel enjoys kayaking, hiking, and traveling with her husband and two young daughters.
About the Company: Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a wide range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide its customers with the best products and services through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Steve Wildrick Joins Winston Foodservice
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice, a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, is happy to announce that Steve Wildrick has joined the company as the Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast United States and key accounts.
Steve is an industry veteran with over 15 years of experience with several major foodservice businesses. His love for foodservice began at an early age, waiting tables. He’s an accomplished business development professional with a proven track record of success, having built relationships with franchisees, distributors, reps, customers, and industry leaders.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Steve is also a dedicated youth sports coach. When the weather gets warm, you’ll likely find him at the Jersey shore.
About the Company:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a wide range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide its customers with the best products and services through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Winston Foodservice Partners with HELIX Solutions Group
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice, a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, is happy to announce that HELIX Solutions Group will now represent them in MAFSI Region 7, including Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania.
HELIX Solutions Group launched in 2019. They host over 50 years of collaborative foodservice experience. HELIX is an extension of their partnered manufacturers and offers a hands-on, personalized approach to serve the foodservice equipment industry in their territory. The company strives to engage with clarity and cohesiveness for a simplified experience for all.
“HELIX Solutions Group is honored to represent Winston Foodservice!” said Neal Hix, partner at HELIX. “We have immense respect for Winston with their high standards, premium products, and industry-leading technologies. We stand with Winston’s ethics, integrity, and culture and we are excited to journey into the future alongside them!”
“I am excited about our new partnership with HELIX Solutions Group,” said Regional Sales Manager Chad Lunsford. “I think they will provide our customers with a high level of support, knowledge, and equipment solutions. Their approach is refreshing and demonstrates a true partnership mentality. I am confident that they will be a real asset to us and our customers.”
About the Company:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a wide range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide its customers with the best products and services through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Winston Foodservice Partners with Pace Reps
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice, a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, is happy to announce that Pace Reps will now represent them in Alabama, Georgia, the Panhandle of Florida, and Eastern Tennessee.
Pace Reps is an independent manufacturers’ representative organization founded in 1982. They specialize in representing manufacturers of heavy-duty foodservice equipment while helping to provide solutions to specifiers, equipment dealers, and end-users in the foodservice industry.
“We are excited to have Chuck and the rest of the exceptional team at Pace Reps behind us in MAFSI Region 12,” said Winston Regional Sales Manager Corey Ainsworth. “They’re a first-class group of people who have been providing equipment solutions for over 40 years and they know Winston products, so I have no doubt they will hit the ground running!”
About the Company:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a wide range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide its customers with the best products and services through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Winston Foodservice Underwrites Equipment Grant with the School Nutrition Foundation
This is just one step towards furthering the company’s commitment to the health of the children in our communities.
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice, a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, will again underwrite their annual Winston Equipment Grant. Winston sponsors the grant through an ongoing partnership with the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) to benefit deserving school systems. The grant recipient receives ten pieces of Winston’s CVap® equipment of their choosing, valued at around $100K.
Winston Foodservice will also provide support and training for the new equipment. The grant helps deserving school systems that otherwise would not be able to afford such an investment in their cafeteria operations. Winston funds the grant to help schools provide fresh and healthy meals to their students. One school system is selected each year to receive the annual grant.
Winston Foodservice has sponsored this grant for over ten years. They are committed to ensuring that children have access to safe, nutritious meals every day. They recognize that school food operations are facing more challenges than ever and seek to assist struggling school systems.
The window to apply for the grant is open until March 31, 2023. The School Nutrition Foundation will determine the grant recipient. Although Winston Foodservice underwrites the grant, the company does not take an active role in choosing the recipient.
About the Company:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a wide range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide the best products and services to its customers through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Winston Foodservice Corporate Chef Wins National Campbell’s Soup Recipe Contest
Louisville, KY- Campbell’s Foodservice recently announced its Can Do Recipe Contest for Healthcare winners. Taking the top honor in first place was Winston’s own Corporate Research Chef, Samantha Brown.
The contest was open to chefs, dieticians, and operators employed in healthcare foodservice. Winston is a proud partner with several healthcare nutrition operations.
Contestants were challenged to create original recipes using at least one of several Campbell’s canned condensed soups varieties. Campbell’s panel judged entries based on criteria including nutrition, ease of execution, and trend relevance.
Chef Samantha’s winning recipe was Rainbow Vegan Chili. Fully prepared in a CVap oven®, the recipe used plant-based beef, a mélange of vegetables, and Campbell’s Classic Tomato Soup. Her winning recipe earned her a monetary prize and will be featured in Campbell’s upcoming Foodservice 2023 canned soup recipe book.
“Winning the Campbell’s Soup contest has inspired me to keep following my intuition and harnessing my experiences in creating meaningful connections through food. This chili is a cold-weather comfort food with a twist. Can you believe I created this award-winning recipe in a CVap oven?” said Chef Samantha.
Campbell’s is also polling the top three winning recipes on LinkedIn, where their followers can vote for their favorite recipe. The winner of that public vote will receive an additional $500. Voting takes place through March 31, 2023.
About the Company:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide its customers with the best products and services through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Winston Foodservice Partners with Foodservice Equipment Agents
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice, a leading commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, is happy to announce that Foodservice Equipment Agents (FEA LLC) will now represent them in California and Nevada.
FEA is an independent manufacturers’ representative organization founded in 1996. They market and sell foodservice equipment for the highest quality manufacturers. Winston is proud to be represented by them.
“I am excited to announce that FEA LLC will now represent Winston Foodservice in MAFSI regions 22 & 24,” said Winston Regional Sales Manager Gary Wycoff. “We feel that our technology is a great fit to their focused line list of providing real up-to-date solutions in today’s fast-paced kitchens. Welcome to the Winston family FEA!”
About the Company:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an American manufacturer of professional foodservice equipment. The company was established in 1969. They produce a wide range of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, and fryers. The company strives to provide its customers with the best products and services through every step of its products’ journey. Contact them today to learn more about their services and equipment.
Winston Foodservice to Attend Legislative Action Conference
Winston Foodservice will participate in the Legislative Action Conference in Washington, D.C.
Louisville, Kentucky – March 1, 2023 – Next week, representatives of Winston Foodservice will participate in School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) 51st annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) in Washington, D.C. During the conference (March 5-7), Winston’s Corey Ainsworth and Suzannah Stephens will join 800 school nutrition professionals from across the country in urging Congress to permanently increase federal funds for school meals, allow all schools to offer free school meals to all students as they did during the pandemic, and maintain current school nutrition standards.
“Research shows students eat their healthiest meals at school,” said Ainsworth. “We need Congress’ full support as school meal programs across the country struggle with rising costs, persistent supply chain challenges, and unpaid student meal debt. We’re looking forward to telling our local representatives about the nutritious meals we help serve, and how Congress can help to sustain this progress and ensure all of America’s students are nourished and ready to learn.”
SNA’s 2023 School Nutrition Trends Survey found that virtually all (99.8%) responding school meal program directors are challenged by increasing costs and supply chain issues, including menu item and staff shortages, which impact more than 90% of programs. Respondents also reported numerous negative impacts from the loss of free school meals. Among programs that must now charge for meals, 96.3% report unpaid meal debt is a challenge.
LAC will allow attendees to meet with their Members of Congress to discuss the importance of school meal programs and share SNA’s 2023 Position Paper.
“School meal programs are at a tipping point as rising costs, persistent supply chain issues and labor shortages jeopardize their long-term sustainability,” said SNA President Lori Adkins, MS, SNS, CHE. “Congress has an opportunity to protect this critical lifeline by making reimbursement increases permanent and allowing us to offer free meals to ensure all students are nourished during the school day.”
About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. To find out more about SNA’s Legislative Action Conference, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/LAC.
About Winston Foodservice:
With over five decades of experience, Winston Foodservice is an expert in the commercial kitchen equipment industry. The company produces a wide variety of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, fryers, and shortening filters. Winston believes in developing meaningful customer partnerships and strives to provide its customers with the best equipment and service.
Winston Foodservice to Attend the NAFEM Show in 2023
Winston Foodservice will exhibit at the NAFEM Show, happening February 1-3 in Orlando, Florida.
Louisville, Kentucky – Winston Foodservice, a leading manufacturer of commercial foodservice equipment, will be exhibiting at the NAFEM Show in Orlando, Florida, at booth 2232. The company will emphasize its equipment’s precision in controlling food temperature and texture.
Winston’s booth will showcase their range of CVap® heated holding cabinets, retherm ovens, warming drawers, and Collectramatic® pressure fryers.
This is the first NAFEM Show since the pandemic’s onset. The Winston team will be there in full force, including their domestic and international sales teams, executive team, and corporate chef.
“At the end of the day, the NAFEM show is all about partnership. Partnership with our customers, reps, and distributors,” said Shaun Tanner, President and CEO of Winston Industries.
About Winston Foodservice:
With over five decades of experience, Winston Foodservice is an expert in the commercial kitchen equipment industry. The company produces a wide variety of products, including cook and hold ovens, retherm ovens, holding cabinets, warming drawers, fryers, and shortening filters. Winston believes in developing meaningful customer partnerships and strives to provide its customers with the best equipment and service.
Winston Foodservice is Proud to Celebrate Vendor of the Year Recognition
Winston Foodservice is excited to celebrate recognition as Vendor of the Year from AKFCF.
Louisville, KY- Winston Foodservice is excited to be recognized as a Vendor of the Year 2022 by the Association of Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisees (AKFCF). The award was presented to Donald Schaper, Winston’s Director of Sales at the AKFCF Southwest Regional Convention at TradeWinds Resort in Tampa/St. Pete Florida.
The Vendor of the Year distinction is a rare honor. One such award is given at each AKFCF regional convention. The purpose of this award is to recognize vendors who have made significant contributions to the success of AKFCF through their dedication, service, and commitment. KFC and Winston have a long partnership together, spanning over five decades.
AKFCF is a non-profit organization that serves as a forum for sharing ideas, best practices, and information among members of the KFC Franchise system. Their purpose is to support, promote, and enhance the franchisee-owned system by providing educational programs and services to all types of franchisees, their employees, suppliers, and customers.
About Winston Foodservice:
Winston Foodservice is a division of Winston Industries, an international manufacturer and distributor of commercial foodservice equipment. Winston’s family of brands includes Collectramatic® fryers and CVap® holding, cooking, and retherming equipment. Winston Industries is comprised of three divisions: Foodservice, Win2uit Electronics, and Manufacturing.