Exhibit 99.1

        The Middleby Corporation Announces New Group President


    ELGIN, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 2003--The Middleby
Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) today announced the promotion of Mr. Phil
Dei Dolori to the newly created position of Group President
responsible for the Blodgett, Pitco and Magikitch'n divisions. Mr.
Selim Bassoul, the company's Chief Executive Officer had been acting
as the interim President of the Blodgett division since it had been
acquired from Maytag Corporation in December 2001. Mr. Dei Dolori
joined Middleby in January 2002 as Division President of
Pitco/Magikitch'n. Prior to joining Middleby, Mr. Dei Dolori was
President of Vulcan-Hart, a division of Illinois Tool Works.
    Commenting on the announcement, Selim A. Bassoul, President and
Chief Executive Officer, said "Since joining Middleby as the Division
President of Pitco/Magikitch'n in January 2002, Phil has provided
leadership to the organization resulting in a significant improvement
in the sales and profitability at the Pitco/Magikitch'n division. This
promotion will enable Middleby to greater leverage its resources and
capabilities across the organization. The Blodgett division, which
shares the same selling network and customer base as the Pitco and
Magikitch'n division, will benefit from cross selling opportunities,
sharing of marketing programs and greater penetration of the dealer
network. This move will further strengthen Blodgett's leadership
position within the industry."

    Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to the
company regarding the company's business which are not historical fact
are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The company cautions investors that such statements are estimates of
future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of
important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from such statements. Such factors include variability in financing
costs; quarterly variations in operating results; dependence on key
customers; international exposure; foreign exchange and political
risks affecting international sales; changing market conditions; the
impact of competitive products and pricing; the timely development and
market acceptance of the company's products; the availability and cost
of raw materials; and other risks detailed herein and from
time-to-time in the company's SEC filings.

    The Middleby Corporation is a leader in the design, manufacture,
marketing and service of a broad line of equipment used for cooking
and preparation of food in commercial and institutional kitchens and
restaurants throughout the world. The company's leading equipment
brands include Blodgett(R), Blodgett Combi(R), CTX(R), MagiKitch'n(R),
Middleby Marshall(R), Pitco Frialator(R), Southbend(R), and
Toastmaster(R). Middleby's international subsidiary, Middleby
Worldwide, is a leading exporter and distributor of foodservice
equipment in the global marketplace and its international
manufacturing subsidiary, Middleby Philippines Corporation, is a
leading supplier of specialty equipment in the Asian markets.
    For further information about Middleby, visit the company's World
Wide Web site, http://www.middleby.com.


    CONTACT: The Middleby Corporation
             Selim A. Bassoul, 847/429-7788
             David B. Baker, 847/429-7915
             Timothy J. FitzGerald, 847/429-7744