INDIANAPOLIS -- It was a good thing Foodservice Director Norma Zeller held off on buying a panini grill for Somers High School's cafeteria-- she ended up winning one in a prize giveaway hosted by their equipment supplier, Central Restaurant Products.
The prize was part of an initiative by Central Restaurant Products to educate foodservice operators about trends in sandwich equipment.
Sandwiches represent one of the most popular segments of the foodservice industry, and a panini grill offers kids a healthier alternative to burgers.
The upstart in the sandwich market hit the $1 billion sales mark last year, and food experts say sandwiches almost certainly will still be in top 10 food items being eaten, if not the top item.
Zeller has been the Foodservice Director at Somers Central School District in Somers for 14 years, and a customer of Central's for about 10 years. She found out about the prize giveaway in an email from Central and registered to win online.
Zeller's school district is going through some big changes right now, and she said the versatile piece of countertop cooking equipment is just what they need to prepare a variety of entrees for their growing facility.
The high school currently has 3,400 students currently enrolled, and administrators are in the middle of a giant expansion project to accommodate their massive growth.
Zeller said with rising food and fuel costs, it's a constant struggle to make ends meet and to maintain and improve the quality of food they're serving. She hopes the new panini will help her staff create some unique -and cost effective- meals for their students.
This was the first prize giveaway hosted by Central, but the turnout was so successful, they plan to hold more giveaways in the future.
To see the full line of panini grills available at Central, please visit http://www.centralrestaurant.com/
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