The Certified Food Service Professional program has recently undergone two changes that should streamline the application and updating processes. First, the point-earning/recording requirements have been simplified and the North American Food Equipment Manufacturers Association no longer differentiates between advancement and maintenance points. To maintain certification, participants pay dues ($50 every two years) and earn one…

First of all, I want to thank all of you who helped us with data for our new FER Top Dealer listings. The data will appear in our June issue, which you should receive any day. I especially want to thank the 31 brave dealers and two broadliners that provided us with independent verification of…

More dealers made the trip to Chicago’s McCormick Place for the 92nd annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show last month. The association released attendance numbers that showed a 6% rise in attendance among dealer/distributors, as well as a 4% increase in the restaurant/foodservice category of attendees. The May 21-24 show attracted nearly 58,000 registrants,…

Maines Paper & Food Service is the sole E&S distributor among the eleven companies recognized this year by Darden Restaurants with its annual William B. Darden Distinguished Supplier Award. Named for the company’s late founder, recipients are chosen from among more than 1,500 global suppliers. Maines, a third-generation, family-owned company, is headquartered in Conklin, N.Y.…

California Pizza Kitchen will be acquired for $470 million by private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital. The deal was announced May 25. San Francisco-based Golden Gate said it would begin its tender offer for the publicly traded CPK by June 8 and expects to close the deal in the third quarter. The deal comes a little…

It will take four years and at least $1 billion, but McDonald’s Corp. is revamping the look—and some of the foodservice equipment—in its 14,000 U.S. outlets. The chain previewed its planned changes to select media and investment analysts. A newly remodeled store in Tampa will set the tone for the rest of the nation. After…

Two senior-level appointments have been announced by Middleby Corp. James K. Pool has been named president of TurboChef, the Carrollton, Texas, oven manufacturer. He’ll oversee day-to-day sales and operations. Pool succeeds Paul Lehr, who has retired. Pool joined TurboChef in 1995, and has been the company’s principal engineer for the past decade. Karl Doyon has…

Tina Reese has been appointed v.p.-operations at Commercial Appliance Parts & Service. She’ll head up Commercial’s headquarters in Tampa, Fla., and will oversee various operational functions for the entire company, which has four branches in Florida and one in Atlanta. Reese has been with Commercial for two decades, and is one of the company’s former…

Thomas Murray Funka, Sr., the retired owner and president of The Zeroll Co., has died. He purchased the ice cream scoop manufacturer in 1968. He and his brother, Art, built the company, then known as Roll Dippers, into a major presence in the market; among their initiatives was creating a national network of sales reps.…

In 10 days, hundreds of foodservice directors and industry professionals will arrive in Phoenix for the 2011 Association for Healthcare Foodservice Annual Conference. “Destination by Design: Sharing Our Influence to Shape Our Future,” June 5-9, includes four days of seminars and speakers at the Arizona Biltmore. Seminar and workshop topics cover everything from sustainability to…