SYSCO Corporation : Sysco Introduces New Chef Ref Mobile Application

Innovative New Culinary App is Loaded With Unique Features

HOUSTON, Jan. 24, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global leader in food service distribution now has a cool, post-holiday gift for food service operators, chefs and foodies alike. And, best of all, it's free.

Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) has launched the Sysco Chef Ref mobile app to provide those who love to prepare food with a handy source for thousands of recipes and meal ideas. Designed for Sysco customers and restaurant patrons, Chef Ref also includes trends, tools, a restaurant finder and instructional videos to simplify even the most complicated culinary techniques. To download the free Chef Ref app to your iPhone or iPad, go to www.chefref.sysco.com.

"Chef Ref is unlike any other culinary app and is an excellent way to enhance the food experience for restaurant and home chefs alike," said Larry Pulliam, Sysco's Executive Vice President and Group President. "Chef Ref's features include tools such as shopping lists and automatic updates. It's easy to find and share recipes and ideas. Nothing in the food service distribution industry can compare."

Those who have tested Chef Ref also agree.

"It is a great tool, and I think our customers will enjoy being able to bring up new recipes very quickly on their own device, getting new ideas and having them live," said Zachary Eddy, Business Review Manager at Sysco New Mexico. "It's a lot different from just reading a recipe or directions."

Tony Romanelli, Chef Consultant at Sysco Chicago, added, "The app was very easy to navigate, and I like that you can just type an item in the recipe section and lots of options come up."

Chef Ref's recipes are created and tested by Sysco's in-house professional chefs, as well as by key suppliers, industry boards and industry councils. The videos are crafted to help food service operators make their businesses more profitable.

Chef Ref segments include:

  Special Features - industry news, cuisine trends and up-to-the-minute meal ideas

  Recipes - thousands of recipes from chefs and suppliers across the nation, customized with Sysco-exclusive ingredients

  Automatic Updates - the latest on-trend recipes

  Favorites - a list of your top quick-find recipes

  Shopping List - ingredients from any recipe for easy shopping

  Serving Sizes - tips to help cooks scale up and down as necessary

  Videos - step-by-step visual instructions on recipes, food safety and product information (all featuring Sysco chefs)

  Categories - search by keyword, ingredient, recipe type or menu category

  Timer - a handy alternative to your oven timer, which starts and stops with a touch

  Extras - a way to share favorite recipes on Facebook and Twitter and send shopping lists to your Sysco sales associate

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 177 distribution facilities serving approximately 400,000 customers. For the fiscal year 2011 that ended July 2, 2011, the company generated record sales of more than $39 billion. For more information about Sysco visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com and for investor relations news follow us at www.twitter.com/SyscoStock.

The Sysco Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=747

CONTACT: Charley Wilson
         Vice President, Corporate Communications
         T  281-584-2423

Image: Sysco Corporation

Sysco Corporation