I started my business in 1988 in my home state of Ohio, built it up till it was quite profitable and then sold it off. I had a lot of friends and interests in the Capital District so in 2004 I packed up and moved out here, bringing my skills with me. Over the next four years, I built up a new route with a loyal clientele under my new business name, Treasure Chest Foods.

I serve homeowners as well as businesses, and carry dry ice with me so that products will stay cold and fresh throughout the day until a customer can get it home. 

Suppliers

I use only the best suppliers — companies that provide food to some of the best restaurants in the region. They include Sysco foods and US Foodservice along with Stockyard and Dole & Bailey.

History

So, how did I get into this business? I remember back in 1985 seeing an ad for door to door meat sales which included a company truck. Considering I’d been with Jewel Tea Company — a home delivery service — for the previous three years, I’d come to enjoy work that involved driving to new places, being outside, and meeting new people. I was hired for the job and not long thereafter I doubled the sales volume of the route I was given in the Ann Arbor area. After two years I was promoted to a management position. It was good work, but I wanted more and eventually left to pursue a carear in real estate.

Eventually I worked my way back into the food-delivery business. Maybe real estate wasn’t my thing! I went to work with Nickola Foods, in Toledo, Ohio, and in my first week out of training I broke the company sales record for the most first-week sales in the company’s seven-year history. I was the top salesperson for six months in a row. Eventually they closed their business  in Toledo because there weren’t enough productive salespeople!

So, I decided it was time to go out on my own. In the spring of 1988 I started Tri-State Gourmet Foods.  I built that business in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to over 650 customers. I sold it in the spring of 2004 to move New York’s Capital District, where I’ve been happily living and working ever since.