Convotherm is the Formula One oven.

Here, the Convotherm supported establishments along the route talk about their operation and how Convotherm helps them to manage the rigours of the circuit crowds.

The Cardio-Thoracic Center in Monaco
MARC GUGLIELMI

“We have a Convotherm combi-oven, and during the Grand Prix, we need to increase production,” says Marc Guglielmi, Head of the Cardio-Thoracic Center in Monaco. “The patients and managing staff invite their families and friends, and we also have to provide for the suppliers who attend.” As a result, everyone is in full drive from morning until night, including the Convotherm. “It’s an excellent piece of equipment in itself. Cooking is precise. Vegetables stay beautiful during steam cooking and they don’t loose their colour.”

L’HERMITAGE Restaurant
JOEL GARAULT

“I serve 2,000 covers during the Grand Prix, explains Joël Garault, Chef of L’Hermitage. “You need to work quickly because the trials take place from 11:00 to 12:00 noon, and they start up again at 2 pm. At 12:15, you need to be able to serve 500 to 600 customers in a hurry. The pace is even quicker on Sundays, because everyone wants to be at the race by 1:30 pm for the 2 o’clock departure. I have two 6-grid Convotherm ovens in my restaurant kitchen. In one, I do all the roasting, for example leg of lamb with a honey, garlic and salt baste, or sea bass and bream baked in salt.…I use the other Convotherm to cook vegetables or to prepare my bouillabaisse and stuffed squash, and more.

Thanks to the two 20-grid Convotherm units in the banqueting kitchen, I can do everything: roast, braise, retherm…. We prepare 6,000 meals for banquets each month. I often use the programmer, because I do a lot of sous-vide cooking during the night, for example for veal hocks, duck confit with oranges, duck fillets carmelised in honey, suckling pig seasoned with orange and clove …

My fifth Convotherm is a 10-grid oven that works 24 hours a day to prepare meals for the lounge bar, staff and room service. I do everything with this one, and it has been going non-stop since the day it was installed three years ago.” Joël Garault looks forward to receiving the two 20-grid Convotherm ovens he recently ordered. “They will reinforce our production capacity, because we now have a large terrace looking out onto the Grand Prix circuit.

Convotherm ovens are really easy to use. A good example: I have one staff member who has worked with me for 38 years. At first, he was hesitant to use these ovens, but now, if I took his combi away he wouldn’t know how to use the old ovens. I chose the Convotherm ovens because they fit my requirements. Since then, I’ve never had a problem – logistic, maintenance, operation or otherwise – so I’m convinced I made the right choice.”

HOTEL DE PARIS
MARIO MURATORE
“On the Grand Prix finals day, we serve 1,300 meals in addition to those served at the Louis XV, plus over 1,000 meals the night before,” declares Mario Muratore, the Chef of this famous gastronomic landmark. I have a large Convotherm 20-grid oven and several smaller units. They are the perfect oven for all types of cooking, notably for fish; and they are very simple to use which is important, because we have a high rate of turnover.

Franck CeruttiLOUIS XV
FRANCK CERUTTI
“At the Louis XV during the four days of the Grand Prix we triple the number of covers. Everyone is on deck, and we even have a special menu. We have to work quickly.” The Louis XV has had a Convotherm in their kitchen for two years. “It’s very precise, and simple to use. We’ve never had the least problem with it. It is easy to clean and less tiring for the chefs to use because it is so ergonomic.”

LE CAFÉ DE PARIS
JACQUES LAMBERT
“During the four days of the Grand Prix race, we produce some 8,000 covers at the Café de Paris,” explains Chef Jacques Lambert. “In order to cope, we offer a special menu with a choice of three starters, three main courses and three deserts. Then we serve buffet meals in the Bellevue Salon. I have a cooking brigade of forty chefs and everyone works full steam. I’ve had two Convotherm ovens for about one year, and I’m thinking of adding a third. The Convotherm ovens are simply quicker than the others, and the production capacity is impressive. To retherm, I can put 100 plates on a rack, which means I can send out 200 plates at a time – all we need to do is add the sauce and garnishes. In addition, cooking is much more precise: when you set the probe at 90° C, the food is really cooked to exactly 90° C.”

HOTEL METROPOLE
CHRISTOPHE CUSSAC
‘We increase the number of meals served by a third during the Grand Prix,” affirms Christophe Cussac, Chef at Joël Robuchon’s Hotel Metropole restaurant. “With the buffet, our production is increased ten-fold. We provide set menus, and hire extra staff for the buffet service. We have two Convotherm ovens and they are very reliable. Food is cooked evenly, and the ovens are as precise at very low temperatures as they are at normal cooking settings. In two years, I’ve never had a problem with them. They do the job, and I really appreciate the easy-to-open doors.”

FERMONT HOTEL
JACKY TORNAY
“We serve at least 1,000 clients throughout the Grand Prix,” says Jacky Tornay, Chef of the Fermont Hotel. We simplify our menu, and in the evening, we do two dinner services in the restaurants. We’ve had a Convotherm oven for two years and are very happy with it. For banquets, the plates are rethermed in just 5 minutes, and during cooking, shrinkage is greatly reduced, meaning better profits. When you cook poultry in a Convotherm, you don’t need to check it all the time and it will only shrink by 6% to 7% compared to 20% or 22% before. It’s simply a sensational oven!”

LE SPORTING
YANNICK PRUNIER
“Our production increases by two thirds during the Grand Prix race,” says the Sporting’s Chef, Yannick Prunier. “We have four Convotherm ovens, which means we can do a lot of volume within a short time. I also like the blanket system. We have blankets that go over the trolleys and keep the food hot – important when you know that the food is transported along a 150-meter long hallway when it comes out of the lift.”

LE MAYA BAY
PASCAL SILMAN
“I’ve had a Convotherm for a year, and I admit that it has changed my way of cooking,” confesses Pascal Silman, Chef of the Maya Bay Restaurant. “I cook just about everything in it. I braise, roast, poach… I can do tomato confit, rack roast of lamb, terrines with game or vegetables cooked at low temperature…. With my Convotherm, I can prepare everything easily, and it has never broken down.”

LE MONTE CARLO BAY
MARCEL RAVIN
“Production at the Monte Carlo Bay goes up by a third during the Grand Prix,” according to Chef Marcel Ravin. I have seven Convotherm ovens: three for the restaurants, three for the banquet service and one for the cafeteria. I chose these ovens for their simplicity. With other ovens, you need to deal with too many parameters. With these, you just press the button – anyone can operate them. And cooking is very precise. Steam and hot air are injected into the oven, and that allows meats to stay juicy. I am very demanding when it comes to equipment, and today, this is the oven you need if you want to produce big volumes.

Convotherm ovens were intelligently designed by people who understand our profession. Every detail has been thought out: for example, the double-glass on the oven door is removable, so it can be easily cleaned and visibility is always optimum.”

MONTE CARLO BEACH
JEAN-CLAUD BRUGEL
“We serve 800 to 1000 covers per day in our operation, and triple the number on Friday and Saturday,” says Jean-Claude Brugel, Chef of the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel restaurant. “We don’t change the menu, but all staff are at work – no one gets a day off during that time. We have two 6-grid Convotherm ovens in our main production kitchen, and these ovens save us a lot of time, especially when cooking fish – with steam, cooking time is cut in half, meaning we can serve our guests much faster. The combis are also so much easier to access – with our old ovens, it was much more difficult to reach food cooking in the back of the oven.”

PORT PALACE
GREGORY GOULOT
“During the Grand Prix, we triple our activity,” says Gregory Goulot, the Chef of the Port Palace. “In the evening, the menu is scaled down by half, and all our staff is on duty. I’ve had a 10-grid Convotherm since September 2003. It is an excellent machine, and we’ve never had a failure with it. Cooking is very even, and it heats very quickly. We often switch from injection to steam and vice versa during the same meal service and we’ve never had a problem.”

CAFÉ GRAND PRIX
DOMINIQUE NOUVIAN
“Our production goes up by two-thirds during the Grand Prix,” declares Dominique Nouvian, Chef of the Café Grand Prix. I adapt the menu and hire extra staff to meet the challenge. I’ve been using two 6-grid Convotherms for five years now. I use one for steaming delicate preparations, and for retherming, and use the other like a normal oven. The Convotherm ovens attain the right temperature very rapidly, and they are very dependable and easy to clean.

Interviews conducted by Philippe Guiffre