News Bites from the 2008 International Pizza Expo Convention in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Pizza Central, April 1, 2008 – A pizza convention? Yup, that’s where we’re at, a pizza convention! And not just any pizza convention, but the 2008 International Pizza Expo, the “largest pizza show in the world”! We’re here representing our restaurant equipment, especially our pizza-related products like Vulcan ovens, Beverage-Air pizza prep tables and Hobart mixers. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Here at the Las Vegas Convention Center, it’s all about the ubiquitous Italian pie that’s known worldwide. Today is day one of the pizza convention, a massive collection of pizza talents and pizza products with 450 exhibiting companies (restaurant equipment retailers, restaurant marketing companies, and many national and local restaurants) 1000 exhibits, 60 educational sessions, Italian Chef Wars and the Pizza of the Year throwdown (part of Pizza Festiva). We’re seeing plenty of laughs, lots of friendly chatter and business cards flying from wallet to purse to wallet like a pizza-themed paper snowstorm.

Pizza Convention Games

Another big attraction at the pizza convention are the ever-popular World Pizza Games. When you gather thousands of pizza-making professionals in one giant Las Vegas convention hall, what better than to pit the best against the best to see who can earn bragging rights for his or her restaurant or kitchen?

The pizza convention’s games are being organized by the World Pizza Champions, Pizza Today, Pizza Expo and Tony Gemignani, a six-time World Pizza Acrobat. The convention games are four in number:

• Freestyle Acrobatic Dough Tossing
• Fastest Pizza
• Largest Dough Stretch
• Team Acrobatics

Each winner of a pizza convention game wins $1000, with lesser awards for second and third place in each category.

Register to Win a Custom Hobart Mixer!

One of our favorite manufacturers, Hobart, is giving away a custom-painted “hot rod” Hobart mixer at their pizza convention booth (#4105). The Hobart mixer will be awarded on Thursday just before the $20000 MEGA BUCKS drawing. (Hobart is also the official sponsor of the World Pizza Games.)

If quality restaurant equipment stirs your blood like it does ours, you don’t want to miss out on your chance at this incredible piece of pizza-making gear. If you’re at the pizza convention, get on down to the Hobart booth!

Visit Short Order, the Home of Brand-Name Restaurant Equipment!

If you’re a restaurant equipment buyer or kitchen manager, come by the Short Order booth, number 8033, and say hi! We’re at the pizza convention, eatin’ it all up!

Vulcan ranges make cooking easy

Vulcan ranges are perennial favorites among the restaurant equipment products at ShortOrder.com. Vulcan produces a wide variety of ranges, ovens, steam tables, fryers and griddles, but it’s Vulcan ranges and Vulcan ovens that people think of first, and that’s where Vulcan made its solid reputation for durable, reliable, well-designed restaurant equipment.

Medium-duty and heavy-duty Vulcan ranges are the bulk of Vulcan’s offerings in the range category. The distinction between these Vulcan ranges is capacity – the heavy-duty Vulcan ranges feature more BTUs, more customizability, bigger work surfaces, and integration with other Vulcan products.

The Endurance Vulcan range is a new concept in ranges

A Vulcan range that’s been getting favorable reviews from executive chefs and other restaurant equipment experts lately is the Endurance medium-duty range. The Endurance range is a sophisticated, easy-to-use Vulcan range (gas-burning) with a variety of impressive features that you’d expect to see on a heavy-duty Vulcan range.

For example, the Endurance Vulcan range, like the Vulcan G36L-1-NAT, delivers a remarkable 32,000 BTUs to the stovetop without hotspots – ordinary burners only reach 26,000 BTUs. The Endurance range’s patented high turn down ratio burner system guarantees you focused, controlled heat where and when you need it. The oven, which can reach temperatures of 550 degrees Fahrenheit, comes in both convection and standard oven variations, and the range is remarkably easy to clean. In fact, Vulcan patented the integrated rapid clean system that they designed into the Endurance Vulcan range.

Other high-end features of this handsome Vulcan range include a heavy-duty oven door hinge, a cool-touch oven door handle, lift-off stove burner heads, sturdy easy-lift-off cooking grates, a 6″ wide front top ledge and a front-mounted gas shutoff valve for burner pilots.

A wide range of Vulcan ranges

Other Vulcan ranges include the expansive 60-inch Vulcan range model VG60-59-NAT, a ShortOrder.com Editor’s Choice, and the economical 36-inch Vulcan range model VG36-66-NAT, another five-star Vulcan range with easy-clean burners.