“Food is essential to life; therefore, make it good” is a food saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been posted at Chik-fil-A chicken restaurants and credited to its founder, S. Truett Cathy (1921-2014).
 
Cathy’s saying has been cited in print since at least 2004.
         
 
Wikipedia: S. Truett Cathy
Samuel Truett Cathy (March 14, 1921 – September 8, 2014), was an American entrepreneur who founded the fast food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A.
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“Food Is Essential to Life”, says Truett Cathy on sign in Chick-fil-A in San Antonio, Texas
 
24 May 2004, The Mississippi Business Journal, “Son of Chick-fil-A founder in Gulfport for opening of new restaurant” by Lynn Lofton, pg. 3:
GULFPORT - Those familiar black and white cows wearing sandwich boards entreating you to “eat mor chikin” were joined by Dan T. Cathy, president and chief operating officer, to launch the Coast’s first free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurant. Dan Cathy is the son of Chickfil-A’s founder, Truett Cathy, who entered the restaurant business in Atlanta in 1946.
 
A quote from Truett Cathy, “Food is essential to life. Therefore, make it good,” is prominently inscribed on the wall of this new location on Highway 49, just north of Interstate 10 in the Orange Grove area of Gulfport.
 
Twitter
Josh Tanner‏
@JoshTanner
And the qoute of the moment, “Food is essential to life; Therefore, Make it good.” S. Truett Cathy
9:30 PM - 8 Jan 2009
 
Google Books
Zebras and Cheetahs:
Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle
By Micheal J. Burt and Colby B. Jubenville
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
2013
Pg. 40:
Signs like “Food Is Essential to Life; Therefore Make It Good” and “We Didn’t Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich.”
 
Google Books
The Power of Failure:
Succeeding in the Age of Innovation
By Fran Tarkenton
Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing
2015
Pg. ?:
Second, inside each of his stores is a sign that quotes him: “Food is essential to life; therefore, make it good.” There is no sign that says “Food is essential to life; therefore, make money from it.”
     
Twitter
CFA @ Menlo Park‏
@cfamenlopark
“Food is essential to life; therefore, make it good.” - S. Truett Cathy, @ChickfilA Founder
6:05 PM - 30 Mar 2016
 
Google Books
Title Notes and Recipes-Food Is Essential to Life Therefore Make It Good: Recipes Journal Notebook (Blank Cookbook), Recipe Keeper, Organizer to Write In, Storage for Your Family Recipes. Blank Book
Recipes Cookbook Series
Author Miss Planner
Publisher CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017
ISBN 1545006407, 9781545006405
Length 162 pages