06/03/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/03/2025 08:50
Published on June 03, 2025
After 40 years, the Fort Worth Convention Center's catering kitchen is now worthy of the culinary expertise and delicious banquets created there.
A 9,720-square-foot, state-of-the-art kitchen -- part of Phase 1 of the center's expansion -- is the first section to become fully operational this spring. Located on the east side of the building, the kitchen is now closer to the center's ballroom and includes dry goods storage, offices for Trinity Food & Beverage staff and a tasting room for center clients.
Trinity F&B General Manager Virginia Taylor and chef Brent Hines say the kitchen's size and increased amount of equipment make meal preparation for thousands of guests more efficient. For clients attending conventions and galas, this translates to fresher feasts, faster service to the table and better tasting cuisine.
With food and beverage revenues making up about a quarter of the center's operational budget, guest dining experience is vitally important. A new tasting room with clean lines, quartz table and Texas textures overlooks the kitchen so clients can be served by the chef or sous chef straight from the grill/oven/refrigerator for their tasting experience.
Eight iCombiPro ovens are programmable to "fire" the product at a certain time, and can even be operated remotely from an app. The oven circulates the air with sensors that adjust the temperature and time for each food item, providing both energy and time savings.
"For example, these ovens have multiple racks that can cook eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes all at once at a predetermined temperature and time, Taylor said. "A computer within the oven allows chef to 'save' that program for future breakfasts, which ensures accuracy and consistency."
In another example, chef Hines added that the new ovens can "brown the skin consistently on 2,000 pieces of chicken. So instead of eight hours of several people searing a piece of protein, it can be accomplished in one hour in the new ovens," saving time and labor.
Chef Hines' favorite new apparatus? A meat smoker that can smoke up to 30 briskets.
"With so many clients and guests wanting Texas flavors like barbecue and fajitas, all our meat smoking is done in-house now," he said. "Even for concessions, we can make brisket sandwiches with in-house smoked meats for the freshest and most delicious options."
Sustainability is important to event planners, who will be pleased to know that the new equipment saves not only time and labor but also energy and water.
New dishwashers operate like a "jacuzzi for dishes," Taylor said. Water fills a giant turbo-basin that gently soaks and swirls dishes until clean vs. a consistently pumping spray arm system, thus saving water.
Another best practice is related to food use. In addition to using almost every part of food sources in sauces and garnishes to reduce waste, Hines preplans menus meticulously and has a formula for amounts of food ordered based on guest numbers.
If for any reason there are overages, Trinity F&B works with local charities who receive donated food items.
Later this year, the center's new southeast lobby will see the opening of a coffee bar managed by Trinity F&B with grab-and-go food offerings for visitors.
Learn more about the Fort Worth Convention Center's ongoing expansion.
Photo: New high-tech ovens, and even a meat smoker, satisfy the tastes of convention attendees seeking that Texas flavor.
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