It all started over 20 years ago, when Emily Zecchino and her daughter Linda began Holiday Foods. Emily will admit that the creation of Holiday Foods was almost an accident. In the early 1980s, the former restaurant owner left her business in search of something new. She had a reputation for being a good entertainer and for creating delicious hors d’oeuvres. Knowing this, a friend suggested Emily try starting a catering business. It was then that Emily and her daughter, Linda, were hard at work (sometimes working double shifts) in their own catering business. After a little research and after stumbling upon a small commercial kitchen that was for sale, Emily’s new catering business was underway. As word of her catering business spread, so did the reputation of Emily’s hors d’oeuvres and canapés. She received requests from area businesses for specialty hors d’oeuvres by the dozen. That’s how her business started – by creating two or three dozen hors d’oeuvres at a time for small businesses.

Emily’s first introduction into mass production came in about 4 years. A family friend was working as the catering manager for the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, FL and he called Emily with a problem. He said the hotel was out of crab meat wontons and wanted to know if Emily would be able to make them. She agreed and asked how many dozen do you need? He needed thousands – 3,000 and he needed them by the next day. She almost fell off her chair, but after a few seconds of thought, she committed to the order and quickly purchased a special fryer and together with her daughter and friends, prepared and delivered the order on time. That lead to an eye opener for Emily, and she thought if she could do this for one hotel then she could do this for others.

It didn’t take long for Holiday Foods’ reputation to spread in the local foodservice world. As more chefs throughout the country learned of Emily’s hors d’oeuvres the foodservice side of Holiday Foods boomed. As chefs moved around the country, they would take Holiday Foods’ business with them and helped set up distribution in their area.

Today Holiday Foods occupies a 46,000 sq ft USDA facility.

The success of Holiday Foods hit an all time high when in January 2006, The Schwan Food Company, a multi-billion dollar foodservice company, purchased Holiday Foods. The Schwan Food Company is taking Holiday Foods nationwide. You have our unwavering commitment to excellence and the quality that assures you that Holiday Foods is a “world class” company bringing you “world class” products.

Regards,

Scott A. Meter
General Manager