J oanne Caccamisi isn’t afraid to take her best shot. In the past, she creatively secured lasting partnerships with national chains including Hooters and Applebee’s.

She used her prowess as a former interior designer to create a welcoming, shopper friendly retail store and warehouse when Central Food Equipment moved into its 28,000 square foot home on Reynolds Rd. in 2005. 

When her husband Danny, and former owner of the company, passed away from cancer in 2009, she could have sold the business or closed up shop, but she chose to step up and take the reins of responsibility and move forward out of the recession.

Today, the 66-year-old owner is taking her latest shot, encouraging every local restaurant owner and kitchen manager to visit CFE to see how the team of professionals can help improve their business by providing expertise and quality supplies.    

“Take a break from your hot kitchen and shop in person. Have a Coke and a snack while we pull your order and load your car,” says the hospitality industry veteran referring to the stocked cooler and snack bar at her store.

The Lakeland business that started in 1978 is a spot to dream about your next professional kitchen build, check out the latest industry gadgets and the impressive inventory of quality smallwares and heavy equipment for all types of applications. Central Food Equipment offers competitive prices thanks to their membership in a national buying group.

“When Central Food Equipment’s rebates go up, the price for customers goes down,” Caccamisi said.

Caccamisi proudly calls Central Food Equipment a “one house supply stop for all your kitchen needs,” but says not as many people are stopping by as years past as more restaurateurs have pivoted to online retail sites or decided to utilize their food supplier for their smallwares and equipment orders. She shared that over the summer the business was “close to bottoming out,” and she is doing all she can to remind local restaurants they can do business with neighbors who care about them without seeing an increase to their bottom line.

She says the mindset of locals supporting locals seems to be shifting to what’s most convenient, but questions whether or not that is what’s best for everyone involved in the long run.

When you shop in person you can inspect the product and determine if it will do the job for you,” she says. “Buying equipment online comes with a risk. If there are difficulties, who are you going to call? Will you be a priority to them like you are to us?”

Their customer service and quality of goods enabled them to supply products for hundreds of national franchise locations for years. But as leadership changed or corporate mergers occurred, Central Food was left on the outside looking in.

Caccamisi is the definition of resilience (she even has an award on her desk from the Excell Foodservice Dealer Network honoring the business for its toughness), and she’s canvassing Polk County for more customers like the local “mom and pop” establishments she has served over the
years, which currently include the likes of Nineteen61, Manny’s Original Chophouse, Fred’s Kitchen and Frescos, among others.

Brandon Blackburn, owner of Blackburn’s Barbecue in Eagle Lake said the CFE team was great when they helped with a renovation of the popular joint. Becky Lovins designed the project, from the hood system to dining chairs to stainless work tables and the equipment lineup.

“Buying equipment online comes with a risk. If there are difficulties, who are you going to call?” – Joanne Caccamisi, Owner

“Everything was delivered without fail,” he says. “When it comes to warranty work and general information about equipment they are second to none to get the job done to do whatever it takes to have us up and running again as soon as possible. 

It’s no surprise that Amazon and online behemoths like WebStaurant are top retailers in the industry thanks to the wide variety of products they offer and the convenience. To compete with that, Caccamisi is currently running a campaign that offers customers 10% off when they shop in-person.

“There is no substitute for human communication and the exchange of ideas and information, plus you don’t have to order it online and pay for freight. Our team will take care of you while you have a Coke and load you up and get you on your way,” she says.

When you walk in the well lit retail space at Central Food Equipment, you will find everything from a dozen pizza peels of various sizes and materials to shelves filled with diner cups and mugs that trigger trips down nostalgia lane to commercial ice makers to chef apparel. The warehouse includes a wide range of furniture for restaurants and even includes a closeout section where customers can shop odds and ends at deeply discounted prices.

Where Central Food Equipment really shines is in its industry knowledge and expertise. For example, project manager Becky Lovins has more than 30 years of experience working with contractors who are well versed in building out and renovating the inside of new and existing restaurants. As Caccamisi says, they are a “small company with the tools and expertise to get the big jobs done.”

If you pay Caccamisi a visit you might hear about her love for authentic home cooked Italian food or you might recognize her commitment to supporting local charities, but it’s guaranteed you’ll learn something that no chatbot or automated answering system can provide. In a changing economy and business landscape, she’s the real deal, and she’s willing to prove it.

“There have been bigger stores than us that have closed, and we find we miss their service when they’re gone,” she says matter-of-factly. “Making that choice today to order online or from a corporate company, you’re making the choice that you may not have that other choice later.”