Joe Borrelli grew up eating most of his meals in restaurants.

“Neither of my parents could cook,” he said. “We’d go out to eat all the time, and from doing that, I realized food is what I wanted to do with my life.”

Borrelli attended Cal Poly Pomona to get his degree in restaurant management but found that back-of-house duties didn't offer enough connection to the food to satisfy his passion.

So, he enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary arts school, for more hands-on training. His ensuing years with Outback Steakhouse, helping to open locations nationwide, is where he really learned the ins and outs of the food business.

Now, Borrelli runs two of his own restaurants. His most recent venture is Butcher Block BBQ in Irwindale, a pandemic baby born from his craving for brisket.

“I love barbecue, and there aren’t a lot of places to get it around here, so I thought, ‘If I want some barbecue, why not make it myself?’” Borrelli said.

While getting the idea off the ground, he reached out to Southern California Edison’s Foodservice Technology Center for help implementing electric appliances.

“We worked with Joe to figure out what equipment best fit his business, and he landed on the Southern Pride Smoker,” said Oliver Ta from SCE’s Foodservice Technology Center. “With the technology we have at the Food Technology Center, we were able to show him several different options. He tried them out and tested his recipes with the equipment to ensure satisfaction.”

“The free test ride and flexibility in figuring out if it fits our business and meets our electrical needs is great. Learning from the people at the Food Technology Center is eye-opening,” Borrelli said. “We are 100% satisfied because we knew exactly what we were getting into without any obligation. We felt like we could really figure out which product was right for us.”

The Southern Pride appliance replaces a traditional smoker that produces excessive smoke, violating health codes at Borrelli’s location in Irwindale. Traditional smokers also need to be lit and watched overnight, requiring additional labor costs. The electric smoker does not use an open flame and has a self-timer and a continuous fan to ensure all the meat is cooked evenly.

“With the self-timing ability, we not only saved a ton of money on our electric bill but also on labor. The product it produces is also so consistent, which is very important for a business,” said Borrelli.

His other restaurant, Bella Sera Trattoria, serves Italian cuisine and also runs on clean energy. In 2019, Borrelli partnered with SCE’s Foodservice Technology Center for the first time to electrify appliances there. He continues to look for clean energy opportunities.

“Every year, there's something new. The bells and whistles keep getting better. It's insane how much technology goes into cooking, which is so much of a science now,” Borrelli said.

“We’re really proud to partner with Joe every step of the way. It's great to see such a forward-thinking business owner continuously adopting greener practices,” Ta said.

For more information on SCE’s Food Technology Center, visit sce.com/ftc.