Chicago, IL — February 23, 2023 — Welbilt, Inc. is thrilled to announce that its two brands, Convotherm and Merrychef are featured recipients of the 2023 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards and will be showcased at The National Restaurant Association Show taking place May 20-23 at the McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.  

Convotherm developed the ConvoSense to help foodservice professionals load and instantly launch the perfect cooking program. Adept at mixed loads, food can be loaded all at once or one tray at a time. ConvoSense recognizes the food as it is loaded and launches the correct cooking program for each tray while simultaneously managing the entire cooking cavity for consistent, exceptional results. This product is the world’s first AI-powered, fully automated combi oven cooking and baking system.  

Merrychef developed conneX^®​ with Automated Panini Press to help foodservice professionals deliver consistent, compressed food with perfect grill marks. The tri-pleX technology allows for the fastest, quietest and most energy efficient speed oven in its class. The patented press accessory, unattached to the oven, slides in and out with one handed ease. A newly engineered auto-lift of the press enables smooth loading/unloading. This product is the first high speed cooking platform able to deliver a full 16”+ square cooking cavity allowing both batch and on-demand cooking in an 18” UL certified ventless countertop platform. 

Since their inception in 2005, the National Restaurant Association Show’s KI Awards have earned a reputation for defining the gold standard of foodservice equipment. The program is known of its commitment to leverage an esteemed panel of expert, third-party judges who help identify the most innovative and tech-driven solutions in the industry today. The awarded products enable automation, efficiency, sustainability and more, and are a key feature at the National Restaurant Association Show. As a 2023 awardee, Convotherm and Merrychef will be showcasing its products ConvoSense and conneX with Automated Panini Press respectively in the KI Showroom during the event.  

“We are thrilled to recognize this year’s recipients of the 2023 Kitchen Innovations Award,” said Tom Cindric, President of Winsight Exhibitions. “Each year we see innovative products that revolutionize kitchen and foodservice operations, and this year is no different. These equipment advancements address many of the challenges impacting operations today—including workforce shortages and labor costs—and create a new generation of kitchens that improve operations and safety through increased efficiency, versatility and productivity to help boost the bottom line.” 

As the global restaurant and hospitality industry’s premier trade show, the National Restaurant Association Show is the place to explore everything that’s happening in the hospitality industry, from the latest food and beverage trends to emerging technology. For more information, visit nationalrestaurantshow.com. 

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The National Restaurant Association Show, Hotel-Motel Show is owned and operated by Winsight LLC in partnership with the National Restaurant Association. 

About Winsight LLC 

Winsight LLC is a business-to-business information, event and market intelligence company serving the restaurant and noncommercial foodservice, convenience and petroleum retailing and grocery industries. Winsight provides research and analytics, branding solutions, face-to-face opportunities, lead generation initiatives, and content marketing services through products including subscription data products, reports, research tools, research programs, fully custom studies, conferences, custom marketing services, meetings, print, digital trade media and tradeshows, including the National Restaurant Association Show.