A family produce route became a regional restaurant supplier by taking on more of the work behind a meal: sourcing, refrigerated delivery and the prep before the prep.
Steelite International turned a fragile object into operational equipment. Its real product is not merely a good-looking plate - it is fewer chips, cleaner service, easier replacement and a reliable canvas for a chef's work.
A one-van produce hustle in Louisville turned into a 16,000-restaurant food-distribution machine by doing the one thing the national giants would not: picking up the phone and asking the chef.