Diverse menus. One standard. Serving Australian commercial kitchens for 40 years.
Forty years ago, commercial kitchens in Australia looked very different.
Menus were simpler, labour was more readily available and combi cooking, as we know it today, didn't exist in Australia. Kitchens relied on separate steamers and convection ovens, while consistency depended heavily on the experience of the chef.
That changed with a chance encounter.
While attending a trade show in Dallas in the mid-1980s, Comcater founder Kevin Wood spotted what looked like little more than a stainless-steel box in an aisle. It was a RATIONAL combi oven. Within weeks, he was in Landsberg, Germany, securing the exclusive distribution rights for Australia and becoming one of RATIONAL's first international distribution partners. 'Back then, combi technology was very much a luxury,' recalls Comcater CEO Rob Wood. 'It wasn't looked upon as a necessity in the kitchen.'
Rather than selling specifications, Comcater introduced RATIONAL through live demonstrations, allowing chefs to experience first-hand how the technology improved food quality, consistency and efficiency. That chef-led approach remains central to the business today.
Corporate Chef at RATIONAL, Cameron Campbell has witnessed that evolution throughout his career. 'When I first started in the kitchen 40 years ago, we had one of the first RATIONALs in Australia,' he says. 'I didn't know it at the time, but we were using cutting-edge technology.'
Today, commercial kitchens face rising labour, food and energy costs while being expected to deliver more diverse menus than ever before. 'It's rewarding to help business owners overcome those challenges and see the benefits RATIONAL can deliver,' says National Product Manager Pete Kelly.
For General Manager Mark Sweeting, the company's success has always come back to people. 'Our best salespeople were actually our chefs because they could relate to our customers the best,' he says. 'Chef to chef, they talk the same language.'
That philosophy, combined with continuous innovation, has helped establish RATIONAL as the benchmark in Australian commercial kitchens for four decades—and continues today with the launch of iHexagon, the next generation of intelligent cooking.
Now, as RATIONAL Australia celebrates its first 40 years, the launch of the new iHexagon represents the next chapter.
Rather than simply evolving the combi steamer, iHexagon introduces an entirely new category of intelligent cooking system, combining steam, convection heat and microwave technology in a single platform to deliver greater speed while maintaining the exceptional food quality RATIONAL is known for.
For Mark, it is a continuation of the same philosophy that first brought RATIONAL to Australia four decades ago.
'iHexagon takes combi steamers to the next level,' he says. 'It's really for people with high volume that are looking for speed. What's really important for us is that we maintain the quality.'
The celebrations continue at Fine Food Australia, where visitors can join RATIONAL Australia's 40-year celebrations, experience the Australian launch of the new iHexagon through live cooking demonstrations, and be among the first to view the new 40 Years of RATIONAL Australia campaign film, bringing together the stories of the people, partnerships and innovations that have shaped the brand's journey over the past four decades.
Forty years on, Australian commercial kitchens have changed dramatically. Menus are more diverse, expectations are higher and technology continues to evolve. But the standard remains the same, and for four decades, RATIONAL has helped Australian kitchens meet it.
Further information on the iCombi Pro, iVario Pro and ConnectedCooking can be found by clicking on the relevant links.
28th July 2026
