The Good Tech Companies - How a College Student Built Software Behind Chicago’s Michelin-starred Restaurant

Episode Date: July 1, 2025

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/how-a-college-student-built-software-behind-chicagos-michelin-starred-restaurant. College student Wes Kim built AI software that automated inventory for Chicago’s top restaurants—starting with a farmer’s market mushroom distributor. Check more stories related to machine-learning at: https://hackernoon.com/c/machine-learning. You can also check exclusive content about #student-built-software, #wes-kim-ai, #ai-in-food-supply, #inventory-automation, #ai-in-traditional-industries, #legacy-system-automation, #chatgpt-for-business, #good-company, and more. This story was written by: @jonstojanjournalist. Learn more about this writer by checking @jonstojanjournalist's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. UChicago student Wes Kim helped a mushroom vendor supplying Michelin-starred restaurants automate inventory using AI—after a farmer’s market meeting. What started as a school project evolved into a real-world solution, saving hours of manual work and proving tech's power in overlooked industries. Now he’s tackling healthcare automation next.

This audio is presented by Hacker Noon, where anyone can learn anything about any technology. How a College Student Built Software Behind Chicago's Michelin-starred restaurant by John Stoyan Journalist As someone who has described himself as being a regular student, one might know they've expected Wes Kim to make a foray into the world of artificial intelligence, especially not during his final year at the University of Chicago, where he was studying computer science. However, a chance meeting with a local mushroom distributor at a farmer's market would change his perspective on the way business owners manage their inventories and ultimately reshape his life in the process. A farmer's market moment Kim is clear that he didn't just simply

happen upon this idea by himself. Heiss' encounter with the Mushroom distributor occurred when he was wandering through a farmer's market, and his bright idea would follow when the distributor showed Kim his facility, from which he supplied most of Chicago's top downtown restaurants. I was struck by how manual everything was, Kim says. He spent hours each morning converting hundreds of email orders into invoices and tracking inventory on a whiteboard. Kim's exploration into the world of emerging technology coincided with the launch of Chad GPT. It was here, Kim says, that he saw an opportunity. He and the distributor would begin to meet weekly, and eventually, they created a system

that not only automated the Mushroom distributor's order processing but also saved him hours daily. That's when it hit me," Kim says. Technology isn't evenly distributed across industries, especially in sectors far removed from tech. Challenges in traditional industries traditional industries are often resistant to change. This is especially true when new technology is introduced to a landscape where businesses operate on legacy systems that have been in use for decades.

The breakthrough came when we realized we needed to find the early-aid doctors. People who were genuinely frustrated with their current processes and open to trying something new, Kim shares. We went door to door, made countless cold calls, and faced rejection after rejection until we found that first believer who was willing to give us a chance. This opportunity arose as Kim worked to prove that his solution could be effective. By showcasing its capabilities, word spread quickly through the industry, thereby ushering in a new era of technology. The impact of invisible T-CHAI has shown itself to be revolutionary. Not only does it save time and reduce stress, but it also often honors the labor behind the system. Kim's

solutions demonstrate this change across multiple industries. This experience opened my eyes to how much untapped potential exists in traditional legacy industries, Kim states. Now, as a founding engineer at a company automating healthcare claim denials for one of the largest healthcare groups in the US, I'm continuing to bridge that gap between cutting- edge technology and industries that need it most. And Ethic, not just a n-edge Kim's work is grounded in the belief that the people who run society shouldn't be left behind in the tech age.

He has proven that every industry deserves access to modern solutions that not only transform their operations but also reduce manual work, helping them compete in today's economy. I'm proving that some of the biggest opportunities exist in the most overlooked sectors where a simple automation tool can save hours of daily work and dramatically improve people's lives," Kim says. Whether working with mushroom warders or hospital claims, West Kim's AI solutions didn't seek the spotlight. Rather, they allow businesses to shine by utilizing modern technology. Thank you for listening to this Hacker Noon story, read by Artificial Intelligence. Visit HackerNoon.com to read, write, learn and publish.