Carr, Riggs & Ingram Capital Advisors Assists as AUA Private Equity Establishes Gourmet Culinary Holdings, LLC in partnership with Gourmet Kitchen, Inc. and Kabobs Holdings, LLC
A Leading Manufacturer of Specialty Prepared Foods for the Foodservice and Retail Sectors
NEW YORK, NY – May 1, 2019 – Carr, Riggs & Ingram Capital Advisors, LLC is pleased to announce that AUA Private Equity Partners, LLC (“AUA Private Equity” or “AUA”) completed its second investment for the GCH platform, partnering with the founders and senior management of Kabobs Holdings, LLC (“Kabobs”). Kabobs is a leading manufacturer of hors d’oeuvres, side items and ethnic and breakfast products that services foodservice operators, hotels, convention centers, corporate campuses, professional caterers and universities across the U.S and Canada. The business is recognized for its cornerstone traits of flavor complexity, consistent quality, continual culinary innovation and commitment to customer service.
Andy Unanue, AUA Private Equity’s Managing Partner, commented: “We are excited to establish the Gourmet Culinary Holdings platform and partner with talented operators at each of Gourmet Kitchen and Kabobs. Based on the strong performance in our portfolio company Indulge Desserts Holdings, LLC, we hope to create similar economies of scale that will allow our partners to accelerate growth and continue to offer premium customized solutions to our customers.”
Terry Hunt, Chairman of Kabobs stated: “We are extremely enthusiastic to partner with AUA and the owners of Gourmet Kitchen. As we sought to grow our company and expand our facility, we felt AUA was the ideal partner to help accelerate that growth. We share their vision of creating a premium specialty prepared foods platform with a focus on quality, consistency, and extraordinary customer service.”
Michael Lacey, President of Gourmet Kitchen, further commented: “We have been thinking about a partnership with Kabobs for years. AUA was able to make that a reality. Together, we will be able to provide a broader product offering and expansive customer service.”
Steven Flyer, Partner on the GCH transaction added: “We are pleased to establish Gourmet Culinary Holdings in partnership with the owners of Gourmet Kitchen and Kabobs as we create the leading premium specialty prepared foods platform in the U.S. Combining the resources, expertise and industry knowledge of our partners will lead to significant synergies across our platform.”
CRI Capital Advisors, LLC acted as the sole investment banking advisor to Kabobs throughout the transaction.
About AUA Private Equity Partners, LLC
AUA Private Equity Partners is a New York based, operationally-focused, lower middle-market investment firm providing strategic capital to companies in the consumer products and services sectors with a particular focus on family-owned businesses or companies benefiting from the growth of the U.S. Hispanic population. AUA Private Equity makes equity investments of $20 to $75 million in companies that generate in excess of $5 million in EBITDA. For more information on AUA Private Equity Partners, please visit www.auaequity.com
About Gourmet Kitchen, Inc.
Gourmet Kitchen is a family-owned Neptune, NJ based manufacturer and distributor of specialty prepared foods for hotels, restaurants, universities, corporate campuses, and distributors across the U.S. The company’s artisanal product offering includes appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, breakfast items, ethnic products, sandwiches, desserts and other custom and chef-inspired specialty foods. For more information on Gourmet Kitchen, please visit www.gourmetkitcheninc.com
About Kabobs Holdings, LLC
Established more than 30 years ago, Kabobs is a founder-owned Atlanta based manufacturer of hors d’oeuvres, side items and ethnic and breakfast products that services foodservice operators, hotels, convention centers, corporate campuses, professional caterers and universities across the U.S and Canada. For more information on Kabobs, please visit www.kabobs.com
About Carr, Riggs and Ingram Capital Advisors, LLC
CRI Capital Advisors, LLC is a merger and acquisitions focused investment banking firm providing solutions to lower-middle market companies. Clients of the firm typically generate between $10 million and $200 million in annual sales with valuations ranging from $5 million to $150 million. The firm has experience across a broad range of industries including: manufacturing, healthcare, business services, energy services and many others. The firm is a registered Broker Dealer with the Securities Exchange Commission and a member of FINRA and SIPC. Additional information is available on the firm’s website, www.criadv.com
CRI Capital Advisors, LLC is an affiliated firm of Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC; a top 20 CPA firm in the country with more than 60 offices and 2,000 professionals across the Southern United States.