Abstract: A food counter useful in displaying ready-to-eat foods is constructed to have a chilled top for providing an aesthetic frost layer and for maintaining the food products at a desired temperature. Removable barriers and fixtures are used during pouring procedure using liquid mastic and removed once the mastic has cured, thus eliminating the need for costly metal forming of the counter. Fabricating one food counter includes providing a planar member having an opening therein sized for receiving a food receptacle, securing a fixture to the member for a masking the opening, placing a refrigeration line proximate a lower surface of the top member sufficient for frosting the upper surface thereof during refrigerant fluid flow through the line, applying a thermally resistant material onto the lower surface for covering the refrigerating line, and removing the fixture prior to assembling the member with a pan assembly.