TOWN OF TONAWANDA — It should come as no surprise to anyone that decades of steady population loss in Western New York has sent thousands emigrating to the far reaches of the country in search of better weather, lower taxes and improved job prospects.

And as Buffalo expats stream home in time to barrel through their favorite rounds of wings and pizza, hot dogs, dips and marinades in the few short days of a long Thanksgiving weekend, that luxury often ends there, while the cravings still linger.  

That is precisely where one local company comes in to play.

City Made is a Town of Tonawanda business selling a variety of local favorites to faraway places for those who have the itch for some hometown delights, but just can’t find it where they are living.   

Business is booming for the enterprise that assembles, packages and ships a rash of food items Buffalonians miss to places like South Carolina, Florida and California and throughout the lower 48 states.  

Gary Steszewski, president of the company, said he launched the business concept in 2000. After a short stint in a downtown location, he was forced to work out of his basement for several years, after the anthrax scare following Sept. 11, 2001, sent Internet sales plummeting.

But like many a hardy Buffalonian, he forged through the rough times. Now situated in Tonawanda along River Road, the company sends out “tens of thousands” of items each year, Steszewski said, and has jumped into 12 other markets around the state and country.

On Wednesday, employees there were busy packing boxes and baskets. The company says this is their busiest time of the year, when loads of Buffalo goodness are shipped across the country to legions with hungry hankerings.

“We have better shipping rates for what your going to get for any product and specifically perishables,” Steszewski said. “If you wanted to send three pounds of hot dogs to fort Lauderdale over night it will probably cost you $102 to $106. If you go to madeinbuffalo.com, it’s going to cost you $59.99 to deliver and that includes the shipping. If something happens to the shipment we’ll guarantee you get another one.”

City Made has 10 year-round employees but brings in an extra 35 full- and part-timers from October through the New Year to compensate for the holiday workload. Besides its now-burgeoning online business, in recent years it has assembled agreements with several grocery chains as well.

Steszewski said the company is looking to expand and already owns the rights to the “made in” domain in 150 cities throughout the world.

“Right now we have 11 different sites up from different cities and we have another 12 that are in waiting,” he said. “And then we’ll spread out from there internationally.”

Contact reporter Michael Regan

at 693-1000, ext. 4115.