Kahiki Foods Announces Changes to the Board of Directors
Gahanna, Ohio (PRWEB) November 20, 2015 -- Kahiki Foods, Inc. today announced that Jeff Tsao has been elected to the Board of Directors of the maker and marketer of frozen Asian foods. Jeff replaces Alice Tsao, his mother, who retires from active involvement with Kahiki after 37 passionate and dedicated years of service to the privately owned company.
The Tsao family has long been a part of Kahiki’s rich history. Michael and Alice Tsao owned and operated the unforgettable Kahiki restaurant for twenty-two successful years culminating in the restaurant being named one of America’s Top 100 Restaurants of the 20th Century and being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, several years after closing the restaurant and starting a successful frozen food business, Alice sold a majority interest in Kahiki to another family-owned company, ABARTA, based out of Pittsburgh, PA. However, the Tsao’s continued to be involved in Kahiki through the Board of Directors and senior level management positions.
“We are extremely grateful to Alice Tsao for her lifetime of contributions to the company. Her vision, leadership and sage advice have been instrumental in Kahiki’s success, and our position as one of the leaders in the Asian frozen food market. We are also delighted that the Tsao family will remain involved with the company, and welcome Alice’s son Jeff to the board,” said Martin Kelly, The Big Kahuna at Kahiki Foods.
Jeff Tsao brings a unique and valuable perspective to Kahiki Foods. He is already very familiar with the company, having worked in the family-run restaurant from a young age. Jeff earned a BA and an MBA from The Ohio State University, and an Associate degree from the Culinary Institute of America. He worked in the hospitality business before rejoining Kahiki as Director of Research & Development. In 2012, Jeff left Kahiki to partner with Japan and Indonesia’s most popular ramen chain to create a new franchise brand of Japanese Ramen restaurant called Fukuryu Ramen (The Lucky Dragon), in Melbourne, Australia. Fukuryu Ramen will be bringing their wildly popular flavor-focused, fast casual, every-day Japanese menu to the US with the launch of their second global location of in Columbus, Ohio in January 2016.
“We believe the Asian frozen food category is on the cusp of explosive growth, and we look forward to Jeff’s insight and contributions as a board member to help Kahiki capitalize on the growth opportunity. His prior experience with Kahiki, coupled with his culinary background, restaurant experience, and great genes will make him a welcome addition to our board,” added Kelly.
About Kahiki
So what does Kahiki mean? Kahiki [kuh-hee-kee] means, “Travel to a far-away place.” For over 40 years now, Kahiki has been taking taste buds on a delicious adventure exploring Asia’s greatest flavors. Kahiki believes the cleanest flavors come from pure, simple, all natural ingredients, which is all that is allowed in Kahiki’s kitchens.
Tara Parsell, Belle Communications, http://www.thinkbelle.com, +1 315-269-2241, [email protected]
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