The VarioCookingCenter® has transformed the kitchen at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg, located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The property has 400 hotel rooms, banquet space that accommodates about 600 guests, and an additional banquet room and outdoor tent area that holds several hundred more. The hotel’s dining area, Great Room, is open all day serving breakfast, lunch and dinner until 10 p.m., and there's also a robust room service business. William Delby is executive chef for the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg; he created a dining experience with a healthy focus based on comfort, innovation and heritage. Using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients whenever possible, Delby keeps a watchful eye on minimizing environmental impact and the hotel kitchen’s carbon footprint. He buys cheese from a nearby Wisconsin dairy and uses it in multiple applications, helping to cut down on transport and packaging while supporting the local community and providing a freshness that clients notice.
In the spring of 2019, Delby and the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg had a VarioCookingCenter® installed, and the piece of equipment dramatically changed the dynamic in the kitchen. “Having the VarioCookingCenter® has allowed us to be much more innovative with our menu planning approach,“ he said. “It allows us to be able to offer guests things that in the past would not have been possible.“ From confit to beignets, from carne asada to quinoa, Delby’s menus capitalize on the cooking speed, consistency and versatility of the VarioCookingCenter®. He and his kitchen staff use it for almost everything: overnight braising, bain-marie, sautéing, searing, pasta baskets, baking, frying and pressure cooking, to name a few.
