The History of Valley Foods

John and Mary Ann Valley began Valley Catering in 1959. At that time they were catering out of their house to small groups for weddings, anniversaries, and graduations. That business was so successful that in 1967 they opened a catering hall called the House of Valley, located in Hubbard, Ohio. It was one of the first full time banquet facilities in the greater Youngstown area and offered a premier service to its customers. In addition to catering on premise, the House of Valley offered mobile catering and was equipped to extend its service to church halls, homes, and even parks. Mr. Valley featured catering to many special events that included weddings, graduations, political events, church dinners, retirement parties and open houses.

In 1970, Valley began operation as Valley Foods at Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio. He served type A school lunches as well as ala Carte and vending items. Valley Foods was one of the first to offer breakfast, well ahead of it being commonplace. High school service was expanded to include Warren JFK in 1974 and Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas in 1976. Additionally in 1973, Mr. & Mrs. Valley opened the Valley Smorgasbord in Youngstown and for the first time operated a full time restaurant.

Also during the 1970’s, Valley Foods started operations working out of the House of Valley initially serving his church elementary school, then expanding service to other schools in the greater Youngstown area. In 1976, we obtained our first senior meal program with Trumbull County. We are proud to say that in 2001, we were a part of the celebration of their silver anniversary. Along with Trumbull County we presently serve approximately 6,500 school and elderly nutrition programs meals daily.

In 1986, Valley built a 25,000 ft² USDA inspected (or equivalent) facility in Youngstown, Ohio. From that location, we serve senior meal programs, schools and day care centers. This facility opened the doors to new areas and markets for the Valley family.

In 1995, Valley Foods, Inc. expanded its facility by 3,000 ft², due to demand. The addition of cooler and freezer space gave Valley Foods the ability to ship frozen products, and also expanded its facility to 28,000 ft².

In late 1995 and early 1996 the possibility of serving the military was first explored with the Ohio National Guard. A pilot program was started in mid 1996 to serve approximately 12 units in the western and southwestern part of Ohio. The program was so successful that Valley began serving most of the units in the state in June of 1997.

In August 1998, Valley was awarded the contract for the Pennsylvania National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap. This involves the use of the T.I.S.A. From that facility, Valley delivers to all units in the state as well as serving the units that train at FIG.

In October 1999, Valley was awarded the contract for the Virginia Army National Guard at Fort Pickett. In Virginia, Valley utilizes the Ration Distribution Center and delivers to all units in the state as well as those that train at Fort Pickett.

More recently, we have begun manufacturing making Italian style wedding soup, under the name Giovanni’s. This is a frozen product available in both retail and wholesale sizes.

On September 2, 2005, Valley Foods, Inc. was faced with its most important job, feeding the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. We can proudly say that we have been a great aid to the victims, the heroes, and FEMA, by manufacturing over 1 million meals, up-to-date.

The mission of Valley Foods is to exceed your expectations.

The "can do" attitude has been handed down so that everyone at Valley Foods is enthusiastic about the service we provide. Valley Foods intends to stay at the forefront, offering professional service that includes nutritious meals at affordable rates, produced in modern facilities, and delivered with speed and efficiency.