The Savoy, a professional hospitality college in Merano, is a centre of excellence in training the future professionals of the catering industry.

Under the watchful eye of over 60 teachers, the Savoy buzzes with passion and dedication from the 700 students engaged on courses including those for chefs, sommeliers, waiting staff and hospitality and tourism managers.

The school teaches everything required for a successful career in catering and hospitality, not only practical sessions in the kitchen and restaurant but also modules teaching teamwork and interpersonal skills.

The requirement

• The Savoy needed a kitchen for the new educational facility. This was to be built alongside the existing building which had become too small to house the growing number of students.
• The kitchen in the old facility had gas appliances from the Ambach System 900, Ecoline and Compact Plus lines. Appliances were needed for the new kitchen that had electronic controls and state-of-the-art technology; offering significant savings in energy consumption.
• The school was not just seeking a simple supplier of kitchen equipment; it needed a partner to undertake the project from start to finish and supply all the appliances needed for the students: cooking ranges, washing and refrigeration systems and blast chillers, as well as kitchen extractors, ventilation systems and all the elements for the self-service area.
• The new facility presented a number of challenges. Not only did the building have distinctive sloping walls but for logistical reasons the training spaces, such as the kitchens and the classrooms had to be located on different floors.
• The Savoy needed highly functional, yet aesthetically pleasing products – the new kitchen had to be robust and high performance enough to stand up to the rigours of the students.

The solution

• Some 14 years on, the Savoy decided to ask Niederbacher, the company that installed the original appliances for the kitchen in the old school. Niederbacher was a reliable choice, the Savoy knew they could guarantee results were experienced in handling complete projects in the world of professional catering. Ambach was chosen, without any hesitation, once again, for the new kitchen at Savoy.
• In order to best meet the needs of the school in terms of high-performance, the robust yet compact Ambach System 700 and System 700 double service cooking lines were installed with a single hygienic top, together with the System 900 line, perfect for the school’s high volumes.
• The kitchen tops were welded in situ and occupy an overall surface area of 150 metres. Amazingly, the worktop alone (that connects the kitchen to the restaurant of the school, where the students practice) comprises 22 metres of stainless steel!
• The project took two years and was the result of great teamwork between all the partners involved: the directors of the school, the team of architects, the technicians and the project managers from Niederbacher and Ambach.