Food as Fuel, Medicine and Performance - Willie Cho, Vice President of Operations at Thomas Cuisine

Season 4, Episode 6: Willie Cho, Vice President of Operations at Thomas CuisineIn this episode of Food Service Matters, Patrick McDermott sits down with Willie Cho, Vice President of Operations at Thomas Cuisine, a US-based food service company operating across 15 states and serving schools, hospitals, retirement communities, workplaces and professional sports teams.At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful idea: food should do more than fill a plate. It should fuel performance, support health, improve wellbeing and help people live better and longer lives.Willie shares the story behind Thomas Cuisine's "Real Food" philosophy and explains how the company has built its reputation around scratch cooking, exceptional ingredients, avoiding additives and delivering food that is loaded with nutrients. The discussion explores everything from employee culture and leadership to food waste, supplier relationships, performance nutrition and the challenges facing modern food service operators.Patrick and Willie also discuss how food can be viewed as medicine, fuel and an investment in long-term health, whether serving school children, hospital patients, workplace teams, professional athletes or residents in retirement communities.What You'll Learn:- The meaning behind Thomas Cuisine's "REAL Food" philosophy- Why food should be viewed as fuel, medicine and a tool for better health- How culture, teamwork and leadership drive long-term employee retention- The role of scratch cooking in delivering quality and consistency at scale- How local supplier partnerships help maintain standards across multiple regions- Technology and forecasting are critical to reducing food waste- The growing importance of performance nutrition in professional sport- The biggest challenges facing food service operators today Food Service Matters is brought to you by DigiTally, helping food service operators connect operational data to drive better decisions, reduce waste and improve performance.