NEW YORK, N.Y. – Catching up with Joseph Schumaker, FCSI [founder and president of FoodSpace] during last year’s HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA was a bit like corralling a chef during the dinner rush. In this case, Schumaker was out front as creator of Duality, the Foodservice Pioneering Concept (FPC) on the show floor.
With the help of crucial manufacturing partners, Duality became a reality. As explained in a previous issue of The News, Duality was partially inspired by a donut. “How do we break up a donut to be reconfigurable into many different form factors?” asked Schumaker. “I cut the donut into four pieces and started playing with what those pieces could do. I came up with over 40 different layouts with those four pieces.”
The challenge on the show floor was that only a few of those configurations could be shown. Fortunately, attendees could see other setups via virtual reality (VR). “They really needed to watch the video through the VR,” Schumaker said, “and then it made sense.”
Many attendees were interested in knowing what it would cost to build, but Schumaker acknowledges that’s a tough question to answer, “because every single one is custom.” Ultimately, Duality is part of a whole host of kitchens and spaces that FoodSpace is designing for many different applications.
“Duality may or may not fit in a lot of my projects, but I didn’t design it for myself,” Schumaker says. “The process is that people are reaching out to us, and then we’ll put together a customized unit for them, and then work with our fabrication partners to have it built.”
Look for more on FoodSpace in future issues of HX: The News.