"Food for Thought"

Local restaurants, companies say grocers/convenience store convention good for business.

April 18th, 2009

Behind a small table at the Knoxville Convention Center, Thoai Ho served up samples of his family's popular spring rolls sold at their North Knoxville restaurant and now available on the grocery shelf of the frozen-food section at Food City and Ingles stores.

"We're still at it. We're here trying to get more grocery stores. It's a good place for us to be," said Ho, a partner in T. Ho Foods, a spin-off of the family's restaurant that opened in 1986. "Last year, we were able to make a connection with a distributor, so we got some good results."

Ho was among about 150 exhibitors who set up for the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association's annual convention, which draws representatives from Food City, Kroger, Food Lion and Rocky Top Markets.

-Carly Harrington
Knoxville News Sentinel