Food pan cooling system with one or more perforated food pans

A food preparation table, comprising:

• a housing at least in part defining multiple food pan receiving locations, a refrigeration system within the housing and a cooling air flow path internal of the housing and leading from the refrigeration system to a region below the food pan receiving locations and back to the refrigeration system;
• a first food pan positioned within a first one of the food pan receiving locations such that side walls and a bottom wall of the first food pan are within the cooling air flow path, a first one of the side walls of the first food pan includes a plurality of openings therein to permit cooling air to enter the first food pan and flow in contact with food items therein, and the bottom wall of the first food pan includes a plurality of openings therein to allow the passage of cooling air therethrough, wherein the plurality of openings in the first one of the side walls are distributed along a majority of a height of the first one of the side walls for effective distribution of cooling air through a depth of food items in the first food pan, such that cooling air delivered into the pans is recirculated back to the refrigeration system;
• wherein the first one of the side walls is oriented parallel to a main flow direction of cooling air flowing past the first food pan along the cooling air flow path.