A La Cart, Inc.
The company manufactures and markets two meal delivery systems. The systems are food rethermalization systems, based on the cook/chill process of food preparation. Under the cook/chill concept, food is cooked, blast chilled so temperatures are quickly and safely reduced from 180 to 36 degrees, refrigerated and later portioned and plated to order. While in a cold state, the meals are placed on serving trays (inclusive of soups, entrees, salad, rolls, desserts), the trays are slid into meal carts where in the refrigeration process continues until the meals are rethermalized at a later predetermined time.
The A la Cart healthcare system utilizes a small, easy to maneuver cart which carries 20 meal trays. Meals on trays, prepared specifically to patient orders, are placed on shelves within the cart and each tray is programmed for subsequent rethermalization. The filled carts are easily transported to the appropriate buildings, wings and floors which house those patients for whom the meals were prepared, where the cart is docked to an A la Cart controller/chiller unit. The controller/chiller refrigerates the contents of the cart and approximately 40 minutes before meal time, preprogrammed heaters under soups and entrees are activated. When the retherm cycle is completed, the contents are maintained at appropriate temperatures until the cart is detached from the controller/chiller for patient meal delivery. Meals are then delivered with hot foods and cold foods at their optimum temperature, all on the same serving tray without additional handling.
A la Cart has over a decade of rethermalizing system experience. In fact users such as Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals of Canada, who installed the A la Cart system in the mid 1980s, continue to use this system today.
A la Cart's SatServe retherm system is a "bulk" system which retherms 12" x 20" stainless steel pans. Designed to chill, transport and retherm all in the same unique cart, the SatServe system is ideal for catering, B&I and other remote feeding needs.