History

"Custom Foods to a 'T'." ( Prep Magazine- 9/21/2006)
-Dan Weldy

As restaurants and food service businesses grow in size, they face a challenge of providing consistent food quality to their customers. From one location to the next, from one shift to another, restaurants must create entrees, appetizers, sauces, side items, and soups which will be of the same quality throughout the system.

T. Ho Foods of Knoxville, Tennessee began to recognize the demand for this process ten years ago. The custom food processing company has developed a business that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. T. Ho Foods has grown from a family-operated business, located in a restaurant kitchen, into a 9,000 square food research and development center in Knoxville that creates and packages customized foods for restaurants in Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas. Managing partner Thoai Ho says they are intent on growing the business nationally.

During a recent interview in Knoxville Ho said, "We can serve as a commissary for any restaurant that wants quantity, quality and consistency." T. Ho Foods has developed relationships with businesses by delivering on a promise to take excessive labor and production costs out of the hands of the operator. "We do the research and development based upon the customer's specs. We can package it any way they want it," Ho says.

The company has helped restaurants reduce overall production costs, eliminate costly inventory, reduce labor expenses and provide high quality and consistency to the consumer. High-volume restaurants and chains have outsourced some of their most difficult and labor-intensive recipes to T. Ho. The end result must be satisfactory for the company's continued success. "We understand the important that your product has on your company's identity, as well as its reputation."

T. Ho works closely with food distributors to guarantee that products are delivered in a timely fashion. All of the products are custom-made and Ho says "every account is handled with strict confidentiality."

A Family Business

T. Ho Foods derives its name from the family that started the business. Parents Thanh and On Ho had six children. Each was given a name that started with the letter 'T". Thuc, Thuy, Thoai, Tien, Truieu and Tuyen Ho all came to the United States from their native country of Viet Nam in 1980. In today's political climate amid much discussion about the validity of immigration laws, the Ho family is living proof that you can overcome many obstacles to live the American dream.

Their immigration to the United States after the closure of the Viet Nam War was sponsored by a relative in Knoxville. For the first six years in Tennessee the couple raised their children and took jobs in Knoxville. Mr. Ho worked in an audio-visual store during the day and went to school at night. Mrs. Ho worked in a garment store. During this period of transition, Mrs. Ho began to make egg rolls and give them as Christmas presents to friends in Knoxville. They were well-liked by all.

In 1986, the couple decided to take their Vietnamese cuisine into the restaurant business. With the help of a business loan from a business associate, they opened T. Ho Vietnamese Restaurant. It actually started out as a modest takeout counter. Two years later, they opened a full-service restaurant. Through hard work, success has come their way. In June of this year, they celebrated their 20th anniversary. Every member of the family spent time working in the restaurant.

One of the most popular items on the menu led to the start-up of T. Ho Foods. The egg rolls at T. Ho Restaurant were very popular. The original technique used by Mrs. Ho to create delicious Christmas presents was noticed by one particular regular customer who planned to open a restaurant. The late Kenny Siao (who drowned tragically in 2005) was about to open his first location to Stir Fry Cafe in Knoxville. Siao asked if the Ho family would be interested in making spring rolls for his restaurant. Stir Fry Cafe became the first T. Ho spring roll customer.

Today, the company is managed by three partners, including two of the Ho brothers. Thuc Ho earned a degree in Restaurant and Hospitality from the University of Tennessee, brother Thoai has continued his education through various culinary courses, and Duane Gregg is a third partner who is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.