Foodesign Associates

10/16/2026

When We Recommend Less Equipment

More equipment doesn't always mean a better kitchen.

Every additional piece of equipment takes up space, requires utilities, needs to be cleaned and maintained, and will eventually need to be repaired or replaced.

That's why we look first at the menu, production needs, staffing, volume, and operation.

If the need isn't there, sometimes our recommendation is simple: don't add it.

Our role isn't to fill the room with equipment. It's to help our partners create a kitchen that supports the operation while protecting both the project budget and long-term operating costs.

Sometimes better design means knowing when less is enough.

Your VISION. Dependable RESULTS.

10/15/2026

Foodesign Associates provided foodservice design alongside architect SFLA for both the cafeteria kitchen and the culinary arts kitchen at Robeson CTEC. This look inside the culinary space highlights another side of our work: kitchens that support teaching and hands-on learning.

Stainless steel student workstations, individual mixers, and commercial cooking equipment provide space for students to practice preparation, baking, and cooking techniques using the tools of a professional kitchen.

An overhead camera and monitor system allows students to follow demonstrations from their workstations. The adjacent classroom’s interior glazing provides a visual connection to the kitchen, linking classroom instruction with practical application.

Planning a culinary teaching kitchen requires attention to both instruction and operation. Equipment placement, work surfaces, circulation, and instructor visibility all play a role in how the space functions.

We’re proud to have worked with SFLA and contractor Metcon on a project that supports both daily meal service and the development of future culinary professionals.

10/15/2026

The best time to solve a conflict is before the equipment arrives.

Utility locations, clearances, connections, and surrounding construction all have to work together. Identifying conflicts during coordination gives the project team more options to address them before they become installation challenges.

Early coordination helps keep the design, construction, and operation moving in the same direction.

10/14/2026

School kitchens support more than meal service. They support the students who depend on those meals and the nutrition teams working to serve them each day.

Sunny Barja, President of Foodesign Associates, will attend the School Nutrition Association of South Carolina’s 73rd Annual Conference & Expo on Friday, October 16, at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Sunny looks forward to connecting with school nutrition professionals, exchanging ideas, and hearing about the needs shaping their kitchens and meal programs.

If you’ll be attending Friday, connect with Sunny. We’d welcome a conversation about your operation and the goals driving your next project.

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

The Dishroom Can Control the Entire Operation

Everyone watches the cook line. We watch what happens after the meal too.

A poorly planned dishroom can affect far more than warewashing. Tray return, scrapping, clean and soiled separation, drying, storage, and staff circulation all influence how efficiently the operation works.

When these areas are planned as one connected system, staff can move more efficiently, sanitation processes are easier to support, and clean wares can get back where they're needed.

The dishroom may operate behind the scenes, but its impact can be felt throughout the kitchen.

The operation doesn't end when the tray leaves the table.

Your VISION. Dependable RESULTS.

10/13/2026

Verify before you specify. Verify again before installation.

Dimensions that look right on a drawing still need to work in the actual space. Field conditions, clearances, utilities, and surrounding construction can all affect how equipment fits and functions.

A measurement taken at the right time can prevent a much bigger issue later.

10/12/2026

Custom Stainless Is Not Just a Filler Piece

Sometimes the piece a kitchen needs doesn't exist in a catalog.

That's where custom stainless fabrication comes in.

Worktables, sinks, dish tables, overshelves, mobile units, and specialty pieces can be designed around the specific needs and conditions of an operation.

But making something custom isn't simply about filling an available space. We consider how it will be used, cleaned, serviced, connected, fabricated, and installed.

Even small details can influence how well the finished piece performs every day.

Custom fabrication isn't designed just to fit. It's designed to solve a specific need.

Your VISION. Dependable RESULTS.

10/09/2026

Plans meet reality here.

A drawing can communicate the design, but the jobsite shows how all the pieces are actually coming together. Field observations give our team an opportunity to look at equipment locations, utilities, clearances, and coordination with surrounding construction.

It's another important step in helping the finished operation perform as intended.

10/08/2026

The Kitchen Nobody Sees

Some of the most demanding kitchens have no customers walking through them.

Behind the scenes in schools, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities, and other institutional operations, teams may be producing hundreds or thousands of meals every day.

In these environments, performance is the priority.

Storage, production equipment, staff movement, carts, warewashing, sanitation, maintenance access, and utilities all have to work together to support a demanding daily operation.

The finished kitchen may never be seen by the people receiving those meals.

It doesn't need to be seen. It needs to perform.

Your VISION. Dependable RESULTS.