The PearTree Restaurant

August 27th, 2007

It started with a trip to the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyons.

Critically acclaimed restaurateur and Chef, Scott Jaeger was selected to represent Canada at the ultraprestigious culinary competition — Bocuse d’Or in Lyons, France. The Convotherm by Cleveland are the only approved combi ovens for the Bocuse d’Or competition. Scott’s first exposure to Convotherm technology was driven out of a need to practice on the oven prior to participating in the competition. Skeptical at first, due to the wide claims that were made on the capabilities of the oven, Chef Jaeger gave Convotherm a chance in the real-life world of his famous restaurant, The Pear Tree. Within a month, the oven was in constant use by everyone in the brigade — steaming, combi mode, baking and dry cooking are all used to the maximum during prep, service and overnight mode. Scott related his favorite example of how the Convotherm saves time and money, while increasing productivity and efficiency of his operation; “Crème brulee is a signature dessert, our traditional cooking required constant checking, every 15 minutes and then the product had to stay in the oven after cooking for another 90 minutes to ensure that the product was set and up to my standards. The Convotherm by Cleveland accomplishes the same thing in 45 minutes — perfect every time and a time saving of 50%. The important thing is that it does a great job on brulee, but it barely scratches the surface of what this oven can do!” Scott and his brigade use a 6/10 boilerless combi oven for very specific reasons. Their cooking scope does not require proofing so they can avoid the necessity of a boiler. More importantly, not having a boiler saves enormous amounts of money on cleaning solutions, avoids scale build-up and the potential for costly repairs. Chef Jaeger was most impressed with the functionality and versatility of the Convotherm oven; “At first I wondered if it was simply too much machine for our restaurant operation, now, my staff and I realize that this piece of equipment does it all. It’s a great addition to the kitchen and I would recommend it to anyone!”