The prices at the grocery stores are hitting wallets hard. Over the past year, shoppers paid more than 6.5% for items on the shelf. Inflation is at risk of growing even more, due to the current war in Ukraine.

Goldman Sachs experts are expecting grocery store prices to rise another 5-6% on top of the already surging costs. 

Not only are wallets being hit hard, but supply chain issues issues are also leaving empty shelves at the stores and products hard to find.

This is making it especially difficult for locally-owned restaurants and businesses. While the shutdown of the pandemic was one of the most difficult times for these owners, a Finger Lakes chef says the struggles are still far from over.

Chef Wayne Allen is a specialty full service private chef in the Finger Lakes region

“My whole thing is ‘an Americans chef take on the worlds cuisine,'” says Allen. 

He focuses on multi-course dinners and local wine pairings from the Finger Lakes.

“I bring all the stoneware from Italy, I bring all the crystal glasses, I bring everything but the kitchen sink,” laughs Allen.

Cooking has been a lifelong passion for Allen, who says he forced his way into the kitchen as a teen.

”I started cooking when I was 12... and lied and said I was 14,” recalls Allen. 

Working his is way from a dishwasher, to the Culinary Institute of America, and eventually making his way back home.

“I was a chef at the Bruster Inn in Cazenovia, Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles, the Atrium Cafe in Binghamton, Dante’s in Armory Square,” said Allen.

While he’s been running his private business, Finger Lakes Chef on Demand, for the past seven years, it takes much more than just the slicing and dicing to make these parties happen.

“I take huge amount of care in everything I do to make sure it’s done right the first time,” added the chef. “But this, I’ve never seen anything like it, all the years I’ve been a chef.”

The pandemic has created some major hurdles for a chef that cooks right in the comfort of someone’s home. But as COVID cases begin to dwindle, the struggles for chefs, have not.

“It was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever faced in my life, but  the most challenging things is going into the store seeing the shelves bare,” he said. 

Supply chain issues continue to leave shelves empty and prices surging. For chefs like Allen, that means time and money.

"Every time I go to the store or every time I get something, you never know what the price is going to be because inflation is running around 20-30% on speciality items,” said Allen.

And it's not just the receipt at the register, Allen can travel up to three and a half hours to host his services. He doesn’t charge extra for mileage, so the prices at the pump are also cutting into costs.

“It’s like dominoes, it goes right down the entire chain and it affects everything,” said Allen.

And while it’s hitting his businesses hard, he’s determined to pay the price, whatever the cost.

"I’ll tell you, taste is worth a thousand words,” said Wayne. “I’m hoping we’ve seen the last of the variants, so that things can start getting back to normal."