# What Chefs Want!

> What Chefs Want! is a certified woman-owned wholesale food distributor based in Louisville, Kentucky that supplies produce, meat, seafood, dairy, gourmet items and paper goods to more than 16,000 independent restaurants and foodservice operators across roughly a dozen states. Grown out of the century-old Grocers Ice & Cold Storage building and a one-van produce company called Creation Gardens, it built its business on a single operating idea - ask chefs what they need and get it to them fast, in whatever quantity, with no minimum order - and has since rolled up dozens of family-owned regional distributors to become one of the largest independent broadline suppliers in the South.

- **Founded:** 1997
- **Headquarters:** Louisville, Kentucky, United States
- **Founders:** Ron Turnier (Owner / Operator (acquired Creation Gardens, 1997)), Mollie Turnier (Owner / Operator), Bob Holmes (Founder of Creation Gardens (1987))
- **Team size:** ~3,000 employees
- **Products:** Fresh Produce (split-case), Meat & Center-of-Plate, Seafood (boat-direct), Dairy, Gourmet & Staples, Local Food Connection
- **Notable:** Grew from a one-van specialty-produce operation into a distributor serving 16,000+ restaurants across ~12 states, Became the largest independently owned wholesale food distributor in the South after acquiring Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice (2024), Opened a 140,000-square-foot distribution hub in Austell, Georgia (2024)

## Products & services

- **Fresh Produce (split-case)** — Daily fresh produce, including split cases and prep-kitchen pre-cut produce so kitchens can order in the quantities they actually use.
- **Meat & Center-of-Plate** — USDA-compliant meats and butcher-cut proteins, expanded significantly after the 2015 Mattingly Foods acquisition.
- **Seafood (boat-direct)** — Daily fresh and boat-direct seafood sourced through programs built after the Bluefin Seafoods acquisition.
- **Dairy, Gourmet & Staples** — Dairy, specialty and gourmet products, restaurant staple items and paper/to-go goods - a broadline catalog for independent operators.
- **Local Food Connection** — A local sourcing program connecting restaurants with regional farmers and producers (e.g. the Kentucky Local Foods Guide) for pasture-raised proteins, produce, dairy, honey and more.
- **E-commerce Ordering & Chef Support** — Online ordering platform, no minimum orders, daily delivery, and food-safety and chef support services (HACCP, GFSI, FDA/USDA compliance guidance).

## Achievements

- Grew from a one-van specialty-produce operation into a distributor serving 16,000+ restaurants across ~12 states
- Became the largest independently owned wholesale food distributor in the South after acquiring Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice (2024)
- Opened a 140,000-square-foot distribution hub in Austell, Georgia (2024)
- Certified woman-owned business
- Completed 20+ acquisitions of family-owned regional distributors while retaining local expertise

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Acquired Premier Produce and Puzycki's Produce to strengthen Florida operations.
- **2024** — Acquired Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice of Atlanta and opened a 140,000 sq ft hub in Austell, Georgia, becoming the largest independent wholesale food distributor in the South.

## Links

- Website: https://whatchefswant.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/what-chefs-want
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/whatchefswant
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatchefswant/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatchefswant/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/what-chefs-want
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13