The Middleby Corp., Elgin, Ill., acquired Crown Food Service Equipment Ltd., a Canada-based manufacturer of steam cooking equipment for the commercial foodservice industry.

“Josef Stritzl [founder of Crown Food Service Equipment] was a pioneer in the development of the steam and kettle cooking industry as well as a longtime friend and respected business colleague. Our strong and deep rooted relationship with the Stritzl family goes back for more than 25 years,” says Selim Bassoul, chairman and CEO of The Middleby Corp. “The Crown acquisition complements other recent strategic investments in the steam cooking category, including the acquisitions of Firex and Market Forge. With this collection of brands and products, the Middleby steam platform is positioned with industry leading innovations and customer solutions, including unique offerings that address customer demands for labor savings, menu flexibility and automation, while also supporting growing foodservice trends of sous vide-cooking, organic and health awareness. With this acquisition, I am also pleased to announce group president John Perruccio will oversee the Middleby steam group, in addition to continuing responsibilities for the Southbend and Star brands. John will lead a unified and focused strategy to bring this complement of brands and product offerings to the marketplace, which we believe will allow us to capture significant growth opportunities in the steam cooking category.”