Kempele central kitchen has plenty of room for work

The central kitchen of Kempele Catering Services, which has moved to completely new premises, is spacious and practical. A dedicated diet kitchen, a handy kettle set and an easy-to-fill buffet, among other things, make the work of the 13 professionals in the kitchen easier.

 

The central kitchen of the municipality of Kempele is located in the recently opened new school building. The kitchen, which provides food for all the kindergartens and schools in the municipality, has been built in a brand new building and has been designed from the ground up into a functional unit.
Before the new building was completed, food for Kempele's schools and kindergartens was prepared in two preparation kitchens. Now the central kitchen prepares a total of 5 000 meals, of which 1 700 are consumed in the same building and the rest are packed and sent out hot to a total of 11 different distribution kitchens. 

 

One of the cornerstones of the kitchen's operation is the Metos kettle concept, which makes the work of dispensing thousands of portions lighter, more ergonomic and more efficient.

– We pump all the food we can: the work is faster and lighter because workers don't have to scoop. It was easy to set up the equipment because we got guidance in advance, says Marjo Rauma, Catering and Cleaning Services Manager of Kempele Municipality.

Kempele's previous preparation kitchens were not very practical. So now, in addition to the kettles and ergonomic improvements, the more spacious and modern facilities and new equipment, including a separate diet kitchen in the central kitchen, have been praised.  

Production manager Anu Räisänen also praises the functional facilities and equipment.

– The new kitchen has a lot of good things: new facilities that can accommodate large quantities of food, and of course, functioning equipment and, for example, ergonomic scoops and pumping facilities for well-being at work. 

 

The new buffet is safe and convenient

The canteen in the new building feeds 1 700 diners a day. With so many diners, filling the buffet can be a challenge and sometimes even a safety risk. During the design phase of the Kempele central kitchen, risks were minimized by planning to fill the buffets from the kitchen side. 

– The flow of the dining is smoother when staff doesn’t have to fill the buffet in the middle of the diners. At the same time, the safety risks of lifting hot containers in the middle of children are avoided, says Marjo.

 

– The new buffet is awesome! And the dishwashing department is now in good shape - there's plenty of room for returns, and the dishwashing line is long at both ends, which makes it easier to work, adds Anu. 

Equipment training and quick help

The new Metos equipment offers the possibility of, among other things, more economical energy and water consumption and a lighter workload. The new spacious premises can easily accommodate a separate diet kitchen, which makes everyday work easier. The kitchen's equipment also includes pressure steamers.

 

Staff have received initial training on the equipment and are beginning to master the basic functions of the new equipment. The next step is to learn all the features of them - so that staff can get the most out of the new equipment and its many features in their own work. 

– We agreed to let staff learn with peace at first, and then have another training session to learn more features!

During the first few months, cooperation with Metos has continued to be close.

– When starting up a big new kitchen like this, there are always situations where you need some kind of help. We have always received that fast, at the latest the next day, Marjo thanks.

Read more about our kettle concept