A “Fruitful” Event for the Latest in Foodservice Equipment

The North American Association of Food Equipment (NAFEM) held their bi-annual show this month at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. This is the first year that StarChefs.com attended the conference, and we were pleasantly surprised by the show, which we feel should be of particular interest to chefs and restaurateurs. Unlike typical foodservice shows, NAFEM focuses solely on equipment and services for restaurants - no frozen food, no processed food, in short, no distractions. If you need to research upcoming equipment purchases or just want to check out what’s new, then this is the show to go to. NAFEM’s next show will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, October 11-13, 2007.

While at NAFEM, StarChefs was invited to the 4th Annual Fruit Ball Classic. No elegant black-tie gala, the Fruit Ball is a down and dirty midnight baseball game with…you guessed it, fruit! Donning the white Fruit Ball Classic tee-shirt, we assembled on the rooftop of the Marriott with the food industry’s top equipment players, their sales reps and several industry consultants.

The history of Fruit Ball is a juicy story. It was conceived in 1999 at the NAFEM show in Dallas. Rick Long of Moccia Enterprises (and now the commissioner of Fruit Ball) was staying at the conference hotel and got stuck in the hotel elevator around midnight. When Rick finally emerged from the elevator three hours later, the hotel sent a fruit basket to his room as an apology for the inconvenience. Bobby Moccia, Lenny DeNote (also of Moccia Enterprises) and John Egnor of JEM Associates joined Rick in his room after the ordeal. Coincidentally, Moccia (a known baseball fanatic) had received a baseball bat as a gift earlier that day. He picked up the bat, and Egnor tossed him a grape. Bobby swung – and missed. Next Egnor tossed an orange - contact! And so the game of fruit ball was born. Today fruit ball is played wherever these overgrown kids of the foodservice industry can find a field (a parking lot, a roof top parking garage, or beach). It’s a lot more fun than you could ever imagine, owing, no doubt, to the concomitant drinking.

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Behind the Scenes at the NAFEM
Fruit Ball Classic

(3rd row) Keith Carpenter, Rob Geile, Jim Currie, Lenny DeNote, David Hensel, Eric Norman, Jack Eggers, Lex Poulos, Rod Collins, Mark Walsh, Carolyn Ruck, Michael Poulos, David Hatch (2nd row) Jackie Smith, Georgie Shockey, Brian Maloney, Bobby Moccia, Debi Benedetti Sean Maloney, Della Simpson, John Faletti (kneeling) Galen Gillett, Kurt Eickmeyer, Ken Schwartz, John Egnor, Rick Long (commissioner), Mike Galino
Here comes the melon Galen Gillett (Enodis)	The ammo	Eating the game! Bobby Moccia (Moccia Enterprises)
Rod Collins (Associates), Jackie Smith (Woodstone)	Left handers in short supply Rick Long (Commisioner)	Debi Benedetti (Management Consultant)
Running for the base Kurt Eickmeyer		Talking strategy Keith Carpenter (Woodstone), Galen Gillett (Enodis)
Is that Rob?	Keep it down... somebody is sleeping Galen Gillett (Enodis)	There is a bug in the ball! Bobby Moccia (Moccia Enterprises)
The pow wow Keith Carpenter, Rod Collins, Jackie Smith, Bobby Moccia	It's too good to play with Sean Maloney	Wait a minute Keith Carpenter
Looks like guac to me Carolyn Ruck	Here comes the pitch Rick Long	Are we having fun yet?
	A different view point
Lenny Dinote (Moccia), John Egnor, Carolyn Ruck	Pirouette? Kurt Eickmeyer	Fruit cup...yum! Michael Poulos (Molteni), Carolyn Ruck, John Egnor (JEM Associates)
Oh my! Sean Maloney, John Egnor	Safe!	Strike 3! Mark Wals0h, Galen Gillett
	He tore the cover off the ball Michael Poulos
Time out		I've only just begun Carolyn Ruck
Girl talk Debi Benedetti, Carolyn Ruck	The wind up... and the pitch Lex Poulos (Jade), Jim Currie, Rick Long
Ken fought the Law and Ken won Ken Schwartz (SSA)		It's a swing and a ... Galen Gillett
We need a clean-up crew!
One way to wear your fruits		I really drank it all Galen Gillett
Bobby, what makes you go? Bobby Moccia
You want a piece of me? Rick Long	Bring it!
	Lock and load Rick, Lex and Bobby