The French Connection

Maestrowave from RH Hall, has now become a successful brand in its own right with the assurance of 25 years expertise in the market. The brand now boasts 25 catering products including microwaves, rice cookers/warmers, conveyor toasters, contact grills, food slicers and fly killers.

Ray Hall, managing director of RH Hall believes caterers look for reliability in an equipment brand, not price. This theory is evident from the company's relationship with French bakery giant Délifrance. Richard Groom, marketing controller for Délifrance, describes their relationship with the Maestrowave brand as "a partnership to move forward with".

Back in 1994 Délifrancelaunched their ‘Provencette' concept - a toasted baguette bake-off product. In 2001 the concept was due for a re-launch and Maestrowave provided a branded contact grill designed specifically for Délifrance to enhance the top quality product with a top quality grill.

The contact grill was rigorously tested by Délifrance at its in-house academy in Leicester. According to Jason Priestley, head development chef for Délifrance, it had to meet a number of criteria including being easy to use, basic operation, safe and fast recovery time to minimise waiting and maximise production.

The Maestrowave contact grill boasts a significant advantage - the top plate is self-levelling and holds itself in place, which helps reduce spillage from the inside of the baguettes. It is also very simple to operate, which Jason cites as a key selling point .

After passing with flying colours, the contact grill is sold successfully as part of the Provencette concept including point of sale, utensils, recipes and product.

Jason comments: "I tend to buy branded equipment as much as possible because I find it increases consumer confidence. In my opinion, Maestrowave is definitely a brand to watch out for in the future."

R H Hall
and
Délifrance