Employees Share Their #HometownFavorites

This summer members of #TRAXERNATION received a little taste of a famous, Rochester hometown favorite; The Plate. The first “plate” originated at Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, NY, starting out as “the plate with all the garbage on it” and over time, it evolved into the official, well-known “Garbage Plate“. It may not sound appetizing, but in this case “garbage” refers to a plate traditionally filled with macaroni salad, home fries, two burger patties or two red hots, a slathering of meat sauce, and any desired condiments. Today there are countless variations in existence – some plates are topped with a fried egg, some choose baked beans as a base over the macaroni salad, some even make it healthy with greens and avocado instead of using fried foods. Teasing our TRAXERS, we sent them a bottle of “Rochester Meat Sauce Seasoning” from Stuart’s Spices, a local business providing “all natural spices, herbs, seasonings, peppers, sausage mixes and rubs”, so they too could understand what our famous “plate” was all about.

Curious to find out what other Rochesterians crave around town, we asked CaterTrax staff to share their own Hometown Favorites around Rochester, NY on our Facebook page. Below are the top drool-worthy, hunger-invoking shares from our team. Next time you’re in Rochester, NY set aside some time to visit these local gems – we promise you won’t be disappointed!

Jim’s on Main

This local restaurant is famous in Rochester for great service, great food, and an atmosphere you won’t soon forget. A nod to their hospitable Greek roots, when you dine at Jim’s on Main you’re made to feel like family. It’s no wonder many Rochesterians frequent here for breakfast and lunch, as well as the neighborhood dog, Moose, who gets a healthy slab of Canadian bacon from the back door to go. Our Marketing Coordinator, Ashley Ditch, shared this local gem, stating “their breakfast is amazing, quick, and delicious. AND they have the BEST Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine! Yum!” If you live around downtown Rochester, Jim’s is simply a must.

Restaurant Fiorella

Restaurant Fiorella provides “casual Italian fare with a focus on using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients” and “farm-to-table Italian cuisine.” Located within the Rochester Public Market, Restaurant Fiorella is able to continue growing relationships with local farmers that support their efforts to provide sustainable meals to diners. Our Business Administration Coordinator, Annie Murphy, has a passion for eating local and crowned Fiorella her hometown favorite for the meal she enjoyed shown to the right – herb roasted pork shoulder and house cut french fries, anyone?

Salena’s Mexican Restaurant

Burritos, tostadas, and tacos, oh my! Salena’s Mexican Restaurant serves authentic Mexican fare in Village Gate in Rochester, NY. Since CaterTrax is also located in Village Gate, employees are easily tempted by their delicious food, and on the occasional Friday at 5:00 pm, their margaritas. The food and drink menu is true to genuine Mexican flavor so it’s no wonder it’s a happy hour hot spot.

Foodlink – Rochester

Foodlink’s mission is to “end hunger and to leverage the power of food to build a healthier community.” They serve Central and Western New York and our internal TRAXER, Tam, volunteers for their Cooking Matters Program (Volunteer for Cooking Matters in your Community). She shared this photo of her most recent class making personal pizzas, reminding us that we love our #hometownfavorites because we get to share them with our community.

What local staples hail from your hometown? Does your city have a famous dish that HAS to be shared? Let us know your own #HometownFavorites – Give us the dish in the comments below or via social media. Our mouths are watering already…