News March 2026 · 53rd Annual Awards Gala
At its 53rd Annual Awards Gala on March 19, the Clarence Chamber of Commerce named CCK founder Paul Stephen II its 2026 Innovator of the Year. The Chamber's citation called Clarence Creative Kitchen "the first of its kind in Clarence" and "the fastest-growing food service facility in WNY."
Adaptive reuse
The Chamber's video tells the story in Paul's words. The building at 9580 Main was a General Motors training center built in the 1950s, and to feed the hundreds of students who came through it, GM built a cafeteria kitchen — just like the one at a school. Rather than build a new kitchen, which would have been prohibitively expensive, we modernized the one that was already there, got it permitted, and started renting it by the hour to local food businesses who needed a licensed kitchen but not the overhead of a whole restaurant.
We approached it from the perspective of adaptive reuse. We had this facility here, and we were able to find a new life for it that serves the Clarence community.Paul Stephen II, Chamber award video
Three years in, that kitchen has more than fifty member businesses — food trucks, ice cream trucks, coffee roasters, caterers, meal-prep services, bakers and packaged-food makers — and a second kitchen on the way.
The citations
An award from the Chamber turned out to come with a stack of paper from every level of government, all dated to the gala at Samuel's Grande Manor. For the record:
Six citations
- USCongressional Proclamation — Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy, NY-23
- NYSLegislative Resolution, Assembly No. 913 — sponsored by Assemblymember Paul Bologna, with a Senate companion from Senator Patrick Gallivan; adopted in the Assembly Feb. 3 and the Senate Feb. 4, 2026
- ERIEResolution of the Erie County Legislature — adopted Feb. 26, 2026
- ERIECertificate of Congratulations — Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns
- ERIECertificate of Recognition — Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia
- TOWNOfficial Certificate of the Town of Clarence — Supervisor Patrick Casilio and the Town Board
The line that shows up in nearly all of them is the one we're proudest of: that CCK exists to make the food industry accessible to small business owners through innovation and affordability.
Thank you
From the video, and worth repeating here: we couldn't have built Clarence Creative Kitchen without our team — Tyler, Becca, Karen and everyone who has helped out. It takes a lot of people to keep a kitchen with this many members running smoothly. And honestly, that's the food industry itself. Even if you're a sole proprietor, you rely on the village.
Congratulations as well to the Chamber's other 2026 honorees, including Great Lakes Dried Fruit — a CCK member — among the first class of Emerging Entrepreneurs.
Sources: Clarence Bee, Jan. 8, 2026 · NYS Legislative Resolution K913