Commercial kitchen decarbonization is a major challenge that must be solved in a way that is both environmentally and economically sustainable. While some operators are moving aggressively towards all-electric kitchens, this is not necessarily possible for many operators, especially those with franchisees. Asked by a major operator to create a cost analysis for a total kitchen electrification project, the Food Service Technology Center's Richard Young provided a challenging true-cost scenario for full electrification along with a more realistic approach using induction cooking as a transitional technology. This short presentation will present the 360-degree analysis of the induction cooktop and share why it makes sense as a starting point for kitchen decarbonization.

Richard Young, Director of Outreach, Frontier Energy Food Service Technology Center

Richard is the Director of Outreach at the Frontier Energy Food Service Technology Center (FSTC), an unbiased, commercial foodservice, research-and-training facility.

Trained as an electrical engineer, Richard started his career in alternative energy, changing from energy-generation to energy-efficiency when he joined the FSTC research team over 35 years ago. He is a contributor to the USGBC's LEED rating system and the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. Richard has lectured at UC Berkeley and UC Davis and taught a food service sustainability class at Diablo Valley College. Richard is a former member of the National Restaurant Association’s Conserve Advisory Council and is a past Fellow of the Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability. Richard is currently an advisor to the Mission College culinary education program and the Worldchefs Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals program.

Richard focuses his efforts on translating Frontier Energy’s 36 years of foodservice research into practical information. He has created and delivered over 1,500 presentations and classes during the last 30 years and authored numerous research reports and articles in magazines, newsletters, and on the web. He is also the creator and author of the online Foodservice Energy Efficiency Expert (Fe3) training and certification program (www.fethree.com).