Our Story
Discover What Drives Us.
Paradise Kitchens, Inc. was founded in 2005 by Tom Rueger and Thad Eshelman of Eastern Quality Foods, one of the leading and most enduring wholesale protein distributors in the United States. These veterans of the poultry industry saw an opportunity in the marketplace for high quality and competitively priced cooked and breaded chicken products. They created Paradise Kitchens to meet the demand from restaurants and supermarket delis throughout the country. They did this by responsibly sourcing and preparing chicken with the most flavorful and fresh ingredients available. Not only is Paradise Kitchens dedicated to providing you with exceptional products, but we also offer you the same robust sourcing and transportation networks that have made Eastern Quality Foods so successful. Best of all, every member of the Paradise Kitchens team upholds our founders’ values of high-quality products, fair pricing, and superior customer service.
Our Team
Engage with Experts that Exceed Expectations.
Paradise Kitchens is able to offer all the benefits of a large company with the personalized touch of a small one. Our seasoned team of experts coordinates purchasing, production, and transportation to ensure our customers receive products consistently as expected. When you call, you can not only count on a person answering the phone, but also on friendliness and flexibility not typically found in the industry. We take pride in having a dedicated person on-call to resolve issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Simply put, our team is committed to timeliness, reliability, putting the customer first, and making your job easier. Learn a little more about our leadership below:
Thad Eshelman
Thad has worked in the poultry business for more than 30 years. After graduating in 1978, he worked as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Brandywine Foods for eight years before joining Eastern Quality Foods. Thad has been the Senior Vice President of Eastern Sales since 1993 and brought his 20 years of experience to Paradise Kitchens when he co-founded the company in 2005.
Robert Eshelman
In 2018, Robert joined Paradise Kitchens to help grow sales and manage accounts across the country. Previously Robert worked for four years in Sales at Lieberman Earley & Company in commercial real estate. He graduated from college in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Minor in Spanish and is the second generation to join Paradise Kitchens.
Lisa Reems
Every company has a person who helps “make them go,” and Lisa is that person for Paradise Kitchens. She has been with Eastern Quality Foods working closely with Thad since 1998, and began with Paradise Kitchens when it was first established in 2005. Throughout this time, Lisa has helped oversee production management, inventory, logistics, and customer service. If our customers have an issue or question, Lisa is always there to help.