Food CEO Xchange

Phil sits down with Herb Ring, Honorary Silver Plate Award recipient and two-time IFMA The Food Away from Home Association Board Chair, to discuss his incredible career and recent retirement as Foodservice Director from The Hershey Company.

Phil sits down with Herb Ring, Honorary Silver Plate Award recipient and two-time IFMA The Food Away from Home Association Board Chair, to discuss his incredible career and recent retirement as Foodservice Director from The Hershey Company.

In this episode, we sit down with Susan Adzick to talk about leadership, resilience, and the power of community in foodservice. Susan shares the lessons that shaped her career, how she builds strong teams, and why purpose-driven leadership matters now more than ever. From navigating change to giving back in meaningful ways, this conversation is a reminder that hospitality is ultimately about people. It’s thoughtful, practical, and full of insight for anyone looking to lead with impact.

Ashley Peeples is Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Royal Cup Coffee and Tea. He sits down with Phil to reminisce about his career in food-away-from-home and his service of the association board. He's cycling off the board but not retiring. Expect to see him at future association events! UnPHILtered was taped onsite at our 2025 Presidents Conference in Scottsdale on November 2, 2025.

Barbara Powell is Vice President of Foodservice at Mount Franklin Foods. She joins Phil to talk about all she's experienced as a board member before she cycles off the board at year-end. Powell extolls the value of the association to mid-sized companies like hers.

In the latest Food CEO Xchange podcast, Phil Kafarakis, President & CEO of IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, sat down with Wiggs Civitillo, Founder & CEO of Starfish. Together they explored how advanced product traceability is shaping the future of foodservice supply chains—improving safety, reducing waste, and building consumer trust from farm to fork.

Phil talks about the need for standardized technologies in the food away from home industry with Mani Kulasooriya, co-founder and CEO of Cut+Dry. Kulasooriya got his start in foodservice by helping to transform Sysco into a digital powerhouse. Now, through Cut+Dry, he says that embracing technology and digital solutions isn't just for the "big guys." He says his company isn't selling technology. "We’re giving food service businesses a tech solution to enhance their operations, grow sales and have a positive impact."

UnPHILtered was taped onsite at our COEX 2025 event in Kansas City on March 2, 2025. Reilly Berk is the CEO of Berk Enterprises a 78-year-old company selling premium foodservice disposables. She is the third-generation head of the company and one of the youngest association board members in our history. She was tapped for the CEO job in her mid-20s but always knew she wanted to be there.

UnPHILtered was taped onsite at our COEX 2025 event in Kansas City on March 2, 2025. Mark Ourada, Group VP of Foodservice at Hormel Foods, has served on the association board of directors for ten years. As he plans his retirement, he talks with Phil about his 35+ year career at Hormel and what he's learned about the keys to getting ahead in the food-away-from-home industry.

UnPHILtered was taped onsite at our COEX 2025 event in Kansas City on March 2, 2025. Kelly Crouse, SVP & Chief Commercial Officer at C.H. Guenther & Son and long-time member of the association board of directors, talks with Phil about his 37-year career as he nears his planned retirement. He shares some words of wisdom to those looking to enter the food-away-from-home industry.

Listen in on our exclusive conversation with George Holm, Performance Food Group President and CEO. This discussion was recorded at the association's annual President Conference, November 2024. Phil talks acquisition strategy, corporate culture and more with George Holm, CEO of PFG. The company is an industry leader and one of the largest food and foodservice distribution companies in North America with more than 150 locations. Holm became leader of PFG when it was acquired by Vistar Corporation in May 2008. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of Vistar, which he founded in 2002. George grew Vistar, a multi-channel food, snack and beverage distributor, into a $3.5-billion company. Find Food CEO Xchange on these platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts , and SoundCloud

In this episode of Food CEO Xchange, Phil discusses brand growth and daypart strategies with Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch. Tomasso, who has been with the brand for 18 years, explains how the breakfast/lunch concept leans into their commitment to quality fresh ingredients and has added alcohol to their beverage program to meet consumer trends and stay successful in challenging times.

Listen in and take a look to our inaugural Special Edition Food CEO Video Podcast “UnPHILtered.” It features Teri Trullinger from Cargill, our 2025 Board Chairperson; Hugh Roth from Pepsi Foodservice, our Chairman Emeritus and the 2024 Oberkfell Award winner; and Scott Barnewolt from PFG distribution. UnPHILtered was taped onsite at Presidents Conference 2024 and focuses on our #ifmaworld organization’s evolution. We're excited to enter a new era with new branding that symbolizes our #strongertogether mission. Also, we're extremely proud to have Teri take over Board leadership; she's the third female Chairperson in our 70+ year history.

Dot Foods went from a little mom and pop business based out of a small Midwestern town in the 1960s to the largest foodservice redistribution company in the U.S. today. Episode Three of Food CEO Xchange, has our host, Phil Kafarakis, exploring the family-owned company's business model and history with Dick Tracy, CEO of Dot. He's the 12th child of Dot's co-founders and joined the family business full-time in 1991. Dot Foods has about 7,000 employees and had $8.6 Billion in revenue in 2022.

Golden Corral has been experiencing incredible growth and customer satisfaction since the pandemic - here's your chance to hear why and how they're continuing to build on their success. Episode Two of Food CEO Xchange, has host Phil Kafarakis in conversation with Lance Trenary, President and CEO of Golden Corral Corporation. The company is a nearly two-billion-dollar organization with 35,000 employees and 500 restaurants across 42 states. Trenary is deeply committed to the brand; he has been a part of Golden Corral for 35+ years and has held virtually every leadership role within the company.

In this first episode of Food CEO Xchange, host Phil Kafarakis sits down with Frances Allen, Former President & CEO at Checkers & Rally's. Frances, known for her expertise in revitalizing iconic brands, shares her insights from her leadership journey across major restaurant chains like Dunkin’ Donuts, Jack in the Box, Boston Market, Denny’s, and most recently Checkers & Rally's.

Join the President & CEO of IFMA, Phil Kafarakis, on a journey into the minds of some of the most remarkable industry executives in food-away-from-home. Each episode is a personal conversation, giving you direct access to hard-won wisdom and practical insights from leaders who are shaping the future of the industry. Go beyond the headlines, hear their stories, and discover how these CEOs have achieved success. They'll share how they navigate industry trends, overcome obstacles, and build thriving businesses. Whether you're a seasoned executive or just starting your food industry adventure, the IFMA Food CEO Xchange podcast has something for you. Get inspired, gain actionable strategies, and discover how to take your own career or business to the next level.