Glenn Valley History
Gary opens a Philly Cheese Steak restaurant, Chartroose Caboose, in Lincoln, NE
Has franchises in 5 states
Developed a method of slicing and portioning for a quick release Philly Steak Meat product, known as the Steak-EZE* puck
Sold restaurants to devote the next 9 years processing and selling his legendary Quick Release Puck to the food service industry across Canada, United States, and Mexico
Acquired patent for the legendary puck
Sells his processing and marketing company to Advance and retires
Opens PepperJax Grill, an award-winning Philly Cheese Steak restaurant chain headquartered in Omaha, NE
Starts Glenn Valley Foods to bring better value to the market place using his 15 years restaurant and 9 years food service processing and distribution experience.
The sale of PepperJax Grill.
Gary Rohwer is inducted into the Hospitality Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement and contribution to the restaurant industry.
The Glenn Valley
Foods story
When restaurant industry pioneer Gary Rohwer founded Glenn Valley Foods in 2009, he set in motion a tradition of innovation and uncompromised quality that started in 1981 when Gary opened his first Philly Cheese Steak restaurant. Most notably, Gary channeled his expertise, industry experience and instinct for understanding the needs of restaurant owners and chefs into creating his now-famous Quick Release Puck Philly Steak.
Prior to Gary’s breakthrough food service invention, there was no vertically pre-sliced and pre-portioned quick release Philly meat category at the distribution level. Instead, traditional flat steak was the industry standard – a cut of meat that required labor-intensive chopping, shredding, hacking and tearing during the cooking process.
Determined to find a more efficient way to deliver sliced Philly meat that offers flavor, convenience and consistent quality, Rohwer dedicated himself to inventing a process in which a delicious, premium steak product could be pre-sliced and pre-portioned before it reached restaurant kitchens and store shelves. Thanks to years of careful research and development, his vertically sliced Philly Steak remains one of the most widely used products among restaurant operators and food service distributors across the country.
Today, Glenn Valley Foods offers a variety of beef, chicken and pork products to a wide range of customers – from top restaurant chains to grocery stores, and even directly to the consumer. Whether our products are utilized as the key ingredient for a new menu offering or a quick, delicious weeknight dinner, our customers choose Glenn Valley Foods because they can count on the convenience and versatility, without sacrificing flavor.
Take this opportunity to experience the quality, value and convenience of our Quick Release Philly Steaks and other premium products.
