About

The beginning of BBQ.

The year is 1954. Thomas and Eleanor Chiavetta are poultry farmers in Brant, New York, a rural township just south of Buffalo. During a meeting at the Erie County Farm Bureau in nearby East Aurora, the couple discovers BBQ chicken. It is juicy. It is spicy. It is succulent. With a tang on their tongues and an eye for the future, Thomas and Eleanor decide to get cooking.

Chiavetta’s gets hot.

It’s 1957 and Chiavetta’s BBQ is the centerpiece at weddings and banquet halls around town. Word travels. Grills flare. Business booms. Soon, the family buys a brand-new truck and adopts a whole-new mission: Take the timeless taste of Chiavetta’s to more people—in more places—all across Western New York.

The best-known name in BBQ.

Fast-forward to 1988. The Chiavetta brothers, Peter and Paul, team up with a local business partner, Phil Pericak, and take control of the family business. It thrives. 

As the demand for Chiavetta’s marinades and sauces reaches an all-time high, the team branches out into the bottling business. They sell 250 cases of homemade sauces and marinades in their first year. The next year? Five hundred cases. 

Today, Chiavetta’s produces a half a million bottles of its flagship flavor every single year. Now that it’s a household name, Chiavetta’s is synonymous with BBQ in Buffalo (and beyond).

New century. Same flavor.

Today, Chiavetta’s is one of the most recognized, well-respected names in BBQ. With two brick-and-mortar locations, year-round pop-up BBQs and fundraising events, and a full-scale catering service—Chiavetta’s isn’t just a local favorite, it’s a legendary flavor. 

And yes, it’s still a family owned and operated enterprise, with three generations of Chiavetta’s at the helm. At Chiavetta’s, we’re proud to serve the best BBQ in the business.