ITW Food Equipment Group Announces Grand Prize Winner of Save Your Kitchen 2026

Ft. Worth, TX (August 19, 2026) – ITW Food Equipment Group, parent company of Traulsen, Hobart, Vulcan, and Baxter is pleased to announce Garfield-Palouse School District of Palouse, Washington, as the grand prize winner of the 2026 Save Your Kitchen contest. The district's winning entry was submitted by Kelsey Blair, Food Service Director for Garfield-Palouse School District.

Serving just under 200 students in the Palouse School District and approximately 130 additional students through its cooperative partnership with the neighboring Garfield School District, Garfield-Palouse (Gar-Pal) School District operates a unique educational model that spans two communities. Each town maintains its own elementary school, while middle school students attend classes in Garfield and high school students attend classes in Palouse, creating a distinctive structure for both education and food service operations.

The district is deeply rooted in its rural community, with many students coming from farming families and generations of alumni who have attended the schools. More than a century of senior class photos line the halls, reflecting the strong community ties and traditions that continue to shape the district today.

At the heart of the district’s food service program is a mission to provide students with nutritious, appealing meal choices that encourage participation and support student success. By offering a wide variety of menu options and responding to student preferences while meeting USDA nutrition standards, the team works to create a positive dining experience for every student.

Like many school nutrition programs, Gar-Pal balances the demands of serving appealing meals with the growing regulatory and administrative requirements of school nutrition operations. Despite these obstacles, the district remains committed to providing high-quality meals while continuing to expand options and improve service for students across both communities.

“At first, I honestly didn’t believe it,” said Kelsey Blair, the district’s Food Service Director. “After I talked with the ITW Food Equipment Group representative and they explained the winnings, I finally realized it was real. All of these prizes are an incredible gift, and the Gar-Pal kitchen is going to become a state-of-the-art facility because of these upgrades.”

The awarded equipment will be installed in the district's kitchen and used daily to support meal preparation and service. The prize package includes a Centerline™ by Hobart CCH134-A food processor with preparation attachments, a Vulcan VBP15 heated holding cabinet, a Traulsen RMC49D4 dual-access 12-crate milk cooler, a Baxter OV310E electric mini rotating rack oven with stand, and a Hobart AM16T door-type dish machine. Together, these upgrades will replace aging equipment while giving the team new tools to expand menu options, improve efficiency, and support future scratch-cooking initiatives.

Although Gar-Pal hasn't previously owned ITW Food Equipment Group equipment, Blair has long viewed the company's brands as "leaders in the industry" and is eager to put them to work in the district's kitchen. For Blair, the biggest impact is the additional flexibility the equipment will create. The new oven will expand menu options and improve cooking efficiency, while the food processor will be a "tremendous time-saver" when preparing fresh fruits and vegetables. Introducing a dedicated hot holding cabinet will eliminate the need to use ovens to maintain food temperatures, a process that currently requires staff to "constantly set 15-minute timers" throughout the day. Blair also described the Hobart dish machine as the "Cadillac of dish machines," while the new milk cooler will be a "game changer" by allowing the district to store its entire weekly milk delivery. "No longer will we need to move milk from the walk-in cooler to the serving line throughout the week."

Equally important to the program’s success is the team’s commitment to meeting student needs. In recent years, the district has increased meal participation by adding a popular salad bar, expanding fruit and vegetable offerings, and providing multiple entrée options whenever possible. Students who prefer an alternative to the daily hot entrée can choose sandwich options, ensuring all students have access to meals they enjoy. Building on those participation gains, the district sees the new equipment as an opportunity to expand student choice while improving kitchen efficiency.

Looking ahead, the district plans to leverage its new equipment to increase scratch cooking and introduce additional baked-from-scratch menu items. Currently preparing approximately 60% of hot entrées from scratch, the team anticipates even greater flexibility and variety for students in the years ahead.

Encouraging others to participate in the Save Your Kitchen promotion, Blair added, "It never hurts to enter or sign up for promotional opportunities. I try to pay attention to promotional emails because that's how you learn about new technology and advancements in kitchen equipment. I'm always looking for ways to make our kitchen run smoother and smarter while making the work easier and more efficient for our team. You never know what opportunity might come your way, so I think it's always worth taking the time to enter."

ABOUT TRAULSEN
Traulsen, an ITW Food Equipment Group brand, has been providing the most trusted refrigeration equipment for food service and food retail operations since 1938. Traulsen engineers a broad refrigeration product offering that includes reach-ins, roll-ins, undercounters, blast chillers, prep tables, merchandisers, and milk coolers. Traulsen is part of ITW Food Equipment Group LLC (a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works) and is proud to be an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2008. To learn more about Traulsen, visit www.traulsen.com or connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/traulsen.

ABOUT HOBART
At Hobart, an ITW Food Equipment Group brand, people and food are our passion. We believe great food brings people together, and the relationships we share feed our inspiration to be the best we can be for one another. As a food equipment manufacturer and service provider, we’ve been dedicated for more than a century to supporting those who are not only passionate about creating great food but are inspired by the people they serve and come to know on a daily basis. Likewise, it is our mission to provide premium food equipment that food service and food retail professionals can trust to work hard and deliver quality, consistent results day in and day out, empowering them to focus on what they love most- creating great food for great people. Backed by our nationwide network of 1,500 factory-trained service technicians, we’re always nearby to install, maintain, and service your equipment. Hobart is part of ITW Food Equipment Group LLC (a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works) and is proud to be an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2008. Explore Hobart by visiting www.hobartcorp.com, connecting with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hobartfoodequipment, or by contacting your local Hobart representative at 888-4HOBART.

ABOUT VULCAN
Masterful design. Precision performance. State-of-the-art innovation. For more than 160 years, Vulcan has been recognized by chefs and operators throughout the world for top-quality, energy-efficient commercial cooking equipment that consistently produces spectacular results. Trust Vulcan to help make your culinary creations turn out just right-each and every time. Vulcan is part of ITW Food Equipment Group (NYSE: ITW). For more information, visit vulcanequipment.com.

ABOUT BAXTER

Reliable performance. Smart innovation. Trusted results. Since 1958, Baxter has delivered high-quality commercial cooking and baking equipment designed for consistency and efficiency. From rack ovens to proofers, our solutions help kitchens produce exceptional results- batch after batch. Engineered for precision and built to last, Baxter equipment supports culinary professionals in creating authentic experiences with every bake. As part of the ITW Food Equipment Group (NYSE: ITW), we’re proud to bring proven technology to foodservice operations worldwide. Baxter- where tradition meets innovation. Learn more at baxtermfg.com.