About Us

This story starts with a kid named Shane. At just 16 years old, Shane Fowler stepped into his first kitchen and never looked back. He wasn’t in it for the money or the title—he just loved cooking. Even back then, he was dreaming up big ideas. One of his first? A full Rochester-style plate, all wrapped up like a burrito. People raised an eyebrow. Then they took a bite—and loved it.

Fast forward to 2022. Shane saw a gap in the Canandaigua food scene—most diners were closed at night, and no one was offering the kind of creative, full-plate meals he envisioned. So he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, starting small by renting space inside Ray’s Restaurant just two nights a week. That little test run took off fast. People were hooked.

Soon after, he opened the first real home of Finger Lakes Plates in Rushville, where it grew strong for over a year. But Shane’s heart was always in Canandaigua, and when the chance came to team up with Mac’s Philly Steaks—a business he respected and once worked for—he took it. The result? A perfect partnership where both places could shine and where Shane could finally bring Finger Lakes Plates back to his hometown.

And while the story is great, what really matters is what’s on the plate. Shane built this business around one core belief: quality comes first. That means no shortcuts and no cutting corners. Just honest food, made from honest ingredients, by honest people.