FOUR PROUDGENERATIONS…
AboutOUR MISSIONOUR VISION
We are a Boutique Produce Firm that understands the creative mind of a Chef is only limited by access to the ingredients that can bring their vision to life.
You are only as good as the product that you have to work with… and we aim to bring you the best of what Mother Nature has to offer, so you can create a work of heart.
We offer quality products, unparalleled service, and competitive pricing for the passionate Chef looking to elevate their plate.
It is also vitally important for us to support Farmers and Companies that share our passion for and our commitment to quality.
Our company is not too big, and not too small… by design. We are just the right size to have access to all the specialties & delicacies that Chefs demand from around the world, while offering a level of service that makes our customers feel like part of the family.
We are a full service vendor, offering the product line of any kind of Apple to Zucchini squash, but our Specialty is Specialties. We also carry a full line of Spices, Dried Goods, & other produce pertinent Culinary Accents for your convenience.
OUR HISTORY
Farmer
George J. Cornille was a farmer and historic settler from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. He & his father created a farm in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, building a windmill and bringing a little bit of Europe to Chicago. His family also had a farm rich in prized Illinois Muck Soil, located where part of O’Hare Airport now stands.
While he loved his work, George was so trusted and well respected by the other local farmers in the Chicagoland community that they asked him to represent them when the Chicago Produce Market was created… To make sure that they were being fairly represented amongst the all the Big City merchants. It was an honor that he took seriously and he set a prescient for quality, service, & honesty that are still core tenants of our business today.
Wholesaler
Henry J. Cornille worked with his father to carry on the tradition of the family business and was instrumental in adapting the business to bring fresh produce to people during the Second World War, The Great Depression, and many years afterwards. He cultivated many relationships with regional farmers from the Midwest and was far ahead of the locavore movement. He believed that if you bought from good people & sold to good people, that was the only way to have good business.
Specialties
As the third generation, you might say Thomas Cornille had produce in his blood and that passion ran deep. He went away to college, but couldn’t resist the call of the family business. Tom was intrigued by the different varietals and exotic specialties that were just coming into vogue during the 1980s. He brought to Chicago items from corners of the globe that had previously only been available in their local regions. Subsequently… His warehouse became a Chef’s Treasure Chest. His notoriety and expertise was around long before there ever was a Food Network. Chefs in the know knew there was only one person to call when trying to find hard to get global goodies… Tom Cornille. That reputation continues today.
Full Service
For many years, Cornille Specialty products were available exclusively through select hand-picked distributors. A request from Wolfgang Puck had us reconsider our business model. We’ve evolved into a Full Service Produce Vendor, bringing you everything from Apples to Zucchini, as well as the fascinating Specialties for which we’re known. To this day, we continue to evolve and innovate unique ways to service the culinary community.
The fourth generation has followed in the footsteps of their forefathers, bringing Renée, Tommy, & Dale to join their father, Tom, in daily operations, serving Chicago & our Country’s finest restaurants.
