KZ Provisioning, a culinary company launched by local chefs Andrew Zimmern and Gavin Kaysen, is set to expand nationally under a new agreement with Pittsburgh-based Aramark Sports & Entertainment. The partnership will see the two firms working together to chase more deals providing food for professional athletes, their coaches, and their families nationwide.

Launched in 2017, KZ Provisioning has already been serving meals to Minnesota teams like the Lynx, the Timberwolves, and the Wild. The new deal will enable the company to pursue business with other professional teams around the country. In addition, for the first time, KZ Provisioning will be able to offer culinary services to collegiate-level teams.

“With the support of Aramark, KZ Provisioning is poised to expand its reach, bringing its high-caliber culinary offerings to new professional and collegiate level athletes and teams across the country,” Kaysen said in an email.

Kaysen said Aramark will act as the sales and marketing team for KZ Provisioning, introducing the local company to Aramark’s existing clientele.

Kaysen declined to disclose the deal’s monetary value or other terms.

Zimmern noted most people don’t realize how important a good meal is to athletes after they play.

“Our emphasis on the extraordinary impact our culinary offerings have on players across all our teams is our daily work,” Zimmern said in a press release issued last week. “When you combine all those areas of expertise with Aramark’s leadership and their ability to amplify our work via this new partnership, we have an offering that teams across the nation will find invaluable.”

In an interview on Bloomberg TV last week, Zimmern said that food for players is an often overlooked business opportunity.

“The most valuable asset that a sports franchise has is the wellness of the athlete, and the missing piece was food,” he told Bloomberg. “They had all the performance training in the world, but the missing piece was food.”

The decision to form a partnership occurred over a year ago when Kaysen happened to share a car with an Aramark employee. The two began to converse about KZ Provisioning, and the employee was interested in learning more. Aramark employees ventured to Minnesota to look more into the business Kaysen and Zimmern had built, and the partnership was formed soon after.

While on Bloomberg TV, Zimmern talked about the importance of building relationships with athletes.

“Once you gain the trust of these players and they realize they’re performing better, they feel better at practice and they’re getting more out of it,” Zimmern said.

He said it also helps to be there for athletes and their families on special occasions, providing meals for birthdays, anniversaries, and so on.

“These personal relationships allow us to anticipate their needs and cater to their preferences,” Kaysen said. “They don’t have to worry or think about their food choices. We’re there to take care of that for them all while keeping in mind their personal preferences and needs.”