Cordless Propane Food Warmer Frees Serving Lines From Electricity

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 20 /PRNewswire/ - Keeping food warm in serving
 lines no longer requires a maze of electrical cords. A privately owned
 catering company has created a 19-pound cordless portable food warmer that
 operates on standard one-pound propane gas cylinders.
     A ceramic-tile element produces radiant heat that keeps food at
 safe-serve temperatures even in windy conditions, according to inventor Bob
 Freeman, who was first president and co-founder of the National Barbecue
 Association. The U.S.-made warmer, he said, is ideal indoors and out, and
 avoids electrical fees at exhibition halls.
     "We've worked on this since our fried fish got cold a few years ago at
 an outdoor party when the weather turned chilly and windy," Freeman said.
 Radiant heat will not dissipate, he said, even in wind, over the short
 distance that keeps food hot.
     Freeman's 36-year-old company, SMS Catering in Charlotte, is the
 largest privately owned caterer in Charlotte. He created SMS Industries,
 also in Charlotte, to handle sales of the warmer. Distributors,
 manufacturers' representatives, and individuals may call 704-535-2222,
 e-mail info@smsindustries.com, and access www.smsindustries.com.
     On the Freeman Cordless Food Warmer 200, heat is adjusted using a
 control knob, and by positioning the heating element from 17 to 32 inches
 above the serving surface.
     The warmer meets the National Sanitation Foundation's NSF4 standard for
 food safety, and is certified by Underwriters Laboratories.
     Chef Bernhard Spogat of Sharin' Foodservice Sales, headquartered near
 Charlotte, saw the warmer during development. "We do events outside,
 including golf courses," he said. "And during food shows you have to find
 an electrician, then you're gritting your teeth hoping the power won't go
 off when 50 or 60 food brokers turn on warmers at the same time."
     Tom Muller, another food-service veteran, said, "People want warmers
 that are practical, easy, convenient and safe - a warmer that does the job
 it's supposed to do and meets all the rules and regulations. Bob's warmer
 does that, and it's attractive."
 
 

SOURCE SMS Industries