‘We’re just so grateful to the City of Buffalo’: Chef’s Restaurant to celebrate 100 years in business
Chef's Restaurant Co-Owner Lou Billitier Jr said hitting the century mark is a surreal feeling for him and his family.
By Adam Campos
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BUFFALO, New York (WKBW) — The Western New York staple, Chef’s Restaurant, will celebrate its 100th year anniversary this Friday.
Chef’s has lived under one roof on Seneca Street in Downtown Buffalo for all of its time in business. The restaurant started as just a nine table spot, to now hosting people in two full dining rooms at a time.
Chef’s Restaurant Co-Owner Lou Billitier Jr said hitting the century mark is a surreal feeling for him and his family.
“We’ve been building up to this, but to put into perspective 100 years, we’re just so grateful to the City of Buffalo,” said Billitier. “All our customers, all our employees, we couldn’t have done it without this without them.”
The Billitier Family took over the business in the 40s, and has since been through three generations of the Billitier Family. Lou said that the decades of ownership have had their mix of fun along with some challenges, but is amazed to see how it’s pushed through.
“It’s been a long haul especially these last four or five years,” Billitier said. “My mom and dad built it up and hopefully my sister and myself have done a good job with the legacy. We keep building and getting back to the community and that’s what Chef’s is all about.”
The signature “Spaghetti Parm” at Chef’s was made by Lou Billitier Sr. with the help of former WKBW Anchor Dave Thomas.
In the kitchen one day, the two decided to try something new by tossing multiple layers of cheese on top of the spaghetti. Since its creation, Lou Jr. told me that parm is “one of the main reasons they made it to 100 years.” It’s become a signature in Western New York since.
Chef’s used to be the go-to restaurant for Dave and other notable 7 News Anchors like Irv Weinstein and has hosted famous names like former US President Bill Clinton and Former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Other names include country singer Luke Bryan, Actors James Wood and Keanu Reaves, and television host Jerry Springer. The walls are covered with portraits of other famous figures who have grabbed a meal at Chef’s.
The restaurant will be open for business as normal on Friday from 11AM-8PM. Customers will be able to celebrate the occasion with gift bags, a photo booth and other fun activities while they are dining in.
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