An innovative smoker oven from Alto-Shaam, the global foodservice equipment manufacturer, is helping to increase food range and quality at Rye Fish Market and Seafood Bar in East Sussex.
Part of the Chapman’s Fish Group, Rye Fish Market specialises in sustainably caught local fish and seafood. In June 2023, Chapmans opened its fully licensed Seafood Bar next door to the Fish Market, with the focus firmly remaining on locally sourced produce. Its core menu includes fresh oysters, lobster rolls and crab sandwiches, accompanied by bread prepared by local artisan bakers and a bar fully stocked with local wines, beers and ciders.
In a move to expand its menu with the addition of a number of new smoked fish dishes, and bring smoking in-house, having previously bought all smoked fish from a third-party supplier, Louise Chapman, who owns the Seafood Bar alongside husband Keith, began looking into purchasing a smoker oven.
“We’d been looking to make our own smoked fish for a couple of years, not only to reduce costs but also to experiment with different combinations to expand our offering,” Louise says. “We initially looked at a couple of large smoking ovens but weren’t convinced as not only did they require a large investment, they also required a large footprint, meaning we would need to reconfigure the layout of the kitchen. This is when we came across the Alto-Shaam smoker oven, which on paper looked like a great fit.”
Chapman’s contacted Alto-Shaam direct who in turn contacted Foodservice Equipment Marketing (FEM), Alto-Shaam’s master distribution partner in the UK and Ireland, to enquire about availability and to arrange a product demonstration. FEM and Alto-Shaam quickly arranged a virtual demo via Zoom in which Gerard Strong, Alto-Shaam Corporate Chef, delivered an in-depth product showcase of the smoker oven from Alto-Shaam’s headquarters in Wisconsin, demonstrating the ovens versatility in smoking a variety of menu items, from salmon to vegetables and even cheese, as well as it’s intuitive and simple controls. This led to Chapman’s investing in the Alto-Shaam Cook & Hold Smoker oven.
Upon delivery of the oven, Billy Eatenton, Alto-Shaam’s UK Regional Sales Manager and a trained chef with more than 30 years’ industry experience, travelled to Rye alongside Kelly Gothard, FEM’s Midlands Sales Manager and David Walker, Business Development Manager at Fatboys Catering to ensure correct installation and provide an in-person demonstration of the oven for the Chapman’s team, utilising the oven to smoke fresh trout, eel and sardines that had been caught by local fisherman that day.
Since installing the oven, Louise and the Chapman’s team have been experimenting with smoking a variety of items, from salmon and haddock to local gurnard, dabs and whiting, as well as garlic. “Although we’ve only had the Alto-Shaam smoker for a matter of months, the early feedback has been extremely positive, and we’ve had an increased demand from customers at both the Fish Market and Seafood Bar for more smoked fish items,” Louise continues. “The service we’ve received from Alto-Shaam, FEM and Fatboys has been exceptional from start to finish, from the live demo to the install process, it’s the ideal solution for us.”
“Chapman’s of Rye is renowned for sustainably sourcing and serving the very best local fish and seafood from the region,” Billy says. “We’re proud to be working in close partnership with them alongside our partners at FEM, and Fatboys, to deliver the highest quality equipment solutions that meet their needs.”