Chef's Family of Brands Named to the 2026 Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100

Every so often, a piece of news arrives that makes an entire team stop what they are doing and celebrate together. This week brought one of those moments. Chef's Family of Brands has been named to the 2026 Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100, the annual list of the fastest-growing, privately owned companies headquartered in our region.

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce announced the 2026 list on August 25, and this year carries extra weight: it is the 40th annual Top 100. Four decades of recognizing the companies that build, hire, and grow right here in Western New York, and we are honored to be counted among them.

What the Top 100 Actually Recognizes

The Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100 is not a popularity contest or a marketing award. It is a growth award, measured in real numbers and verified by an independent accounting partner.

To be eligible, a company must be privately owned, headquartered in the nine-county Greater Rochester region, and have earned at least one million dollars in revenue in each of the three most recent fiscal years. Rankings are calculated on revenue growth, looking at both dollar growth and percentage growth. Greater Rochester Chamber runs the program in collaboration with accounting partner KPMG LLP, with ESL Federal Credit Union as presenting sponsor.

In other words, making this list means a company has grown, consistently, over a multi-year stretch, and the growth has been checked. For a hospitality business, that is a meaningful thing to be able to say. Catering is a demanding industry with thin margins, seasonal swings, and a customer base that remembers exactly how your food tasted at the last event they attended. Growth in this field comes one well-executed event at a time.

A Milestone Year for the Program

This year's list represents over 24,000 total employees across the region. Taken together, the 2026 Top 100 companies are a genuine snapshot of what is driving the Greater Rochester economy: construction, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, technology, professional services, and yes, food and hospitality.

Bob Duffy, President and CEO of Greater Rochester Chamber, put it well in the announcement: "Each day, our region gets stronger, more innovative, and bolder thanks to the work at each of these Top 100 companies." That is the part of this recognition we appreciate most. It is a regional story, not just a company story.

The companies are listed alphabetically for now. The ranked order stays under wraps until the celebration in November.

The Brands Behind the Name

Chef's Family of Brands covers everything our team does across Rochester, Spencerport, and Western New York:

• Chef's Catering. Our full-service catering operation, handling weddings, corporate events, and celebrations of every size.
• Chef's Event Center. Our own venue in Rochester, built for receptions, parties, and business gatherings.
• Eat Greek Food Truck. Bowls, gyros, and salads, out in the community and available for events.
• Chef's Mobile Kitchen. On-site cooking that brings the kitchen directly to your event.
• Sonny's Landing. The newest addition to the family.

Each of these grew out of the same idea: give people in this region excellent food and service, in whatever format the occasion calls for. A corporate lunch, a food truck at a company picnic, a plated wedding dinner for 250, or a graduation party in someone's backyard. Different formats, same standard.

Planning an event this fall or next year? Call Chef's Catering at 585-752-2149 or explore our full range of catering services to start the conversation.

What Growth Like This Actually Means for Clients

An award is nice on a wall. What matters more is what the growth behind it lets us do for the people who hire us.

Steady growth has meant investing in more equipment, deeper staffing, and better systems, which translates directly into what a client experiences. It means we can take on more events on the same busy Saturday in June without stretching thin. It means a larger, better-trained service team showing up on site. It means more capacity in the kitchen, a wider range of menus, and the flexibility to handle a last-minute guest count change without drama.

It also means options. A client who came to us for drop-off catering for an office lunch can come back to us for wedding catering, a food truck for a summer event, or a venue for their holiday party. Growing the family of brands was never about collecting businesses. It was about being able to say yes to more of what our community asks for.

This One Belongs to the Team

Recognition like this gets announced with a company name, but it is earned by people. It is earned by the kitchen staff who prep before sunrise for a morning event. By the drivers and setup crews who load out in February weather. By the servers and bartenders who stay calm and gracious through a packed reception. By the event coordinators who field the phone calls, absorb the changes, and make sure nothing lands on the client that does not have to.

It is also earned by our clients. Every couple who trusted us with their wedding, every business that made us their regular caterer, every family who called us for a graduation or a celebration of life: that trust is the actual growth engine. Referrals and repeat business are how a catering company grows in a market like Rochester, and we do not take that for granted.

What Comes Next

Greater Rochester Chamber will reveal the ranked order at the 40th anniversary celebration at the Floreano Convention Center on Thursday, November 5. The event draws over 1,800 guests, and this year's edition will include additional programming marking four decades of the awards.

We will be there. Wherever we land in the ranking, being on the list at all, alongside companies that have shaped this region for generations, is something our whole team is proud of.

Let's Plan Something Together

If this news reached you because you have worked with us before, thank you. You are a real part of why it happened. If you are finding us for the first time, we would love the chance to show you what the team behind the recognition can do for your event.

Chef's Catering serves Rochester, Monroe County, and Western New York with full-service catering, drop-off catering, mobile kitchens, food trucks, and our own event center. Whatever you are planning, we will help you build a menu and a plan that fits it.

Call us at 585-752-2149 to start planning your event, or reach out online and we will follow up promptly. Thank you, Rochester. Here is to what comes next.

Chef's Catering is a full-service catering company based in Spencerport, NY, serving Rochester, Monroe County, and Western New York, and part of Chef's Family of Brands, named to the 2026 Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100. Learn more about our story.