About Us
For Over 100 Years
Monroe Kitchen Equipment has been in the food service equipment manufacturing business since the early 1900s. We began as the Fearless Dishwasher Company, a pioneer in the automatic dishwashing industry that was paramount in the entire automatic dish machine evolution. In the 1940s, the company transitioned into Master Kitchen Equipment, a fabricator of stainless steel kitchen equipment.
Monroe Kitchen Equipment was incorporated in 1986 by Thomas J. Curtin as a premier manufacturer of custom kitchen equipment. With this change, our company expanded its expertise in the kitchen ventilation field and added Ansul fire systems to its line of products through its sister company Monroe Extinguisher Company.
In the late 80s, CAD drawing capabilities were added to our services which allowed quicker turnaround time for custom product development, approval, and fabrication. Monroe Kitchen Equipment is a NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved manufacturing facility and it has always been a part of our fabrication process, keeping us abreast of the most recent developments and procedures for the fabrication of commercial kitchen equipment.
In Recent Years
Through the 90s we continued to grow Monroe Kitchen Equipment with food service equipment and continued to expand to new products that came along for clean rooms, laboratories, and healthcare. Custom stainless steel products, other than kitchen equipment, were being requested by many of our new customers. In 1996, we constructed a new building to join our sister company, Monroe Extinguisher, and ourselves under one roof. This has allowed us ample room for future growth and to better serve our customers.
In 2022, Adam Curtin, Anthony Salemme, Michelle Gallaher, and Joe Salemme purchased Monroe Kitchen Equipment from Thomas Curtin, making the company a second generation family business. Together, they continue the vision for the company and passion for serving customers.
At Monroe Kitchen Equipment, we are committed to always meeting or exceeding expectations for quality, service, and delivery. Since the beginning, “Quality has been our #1 Concern.” We are proud to manufacture our products right here in Rochester, NY, utilizing as much American-made material as we can find. We take great pride in everything we produce and stand behind our craftsmanship.
Our Leadership Team
JOE SALEMME
Joe Salemme has an NSF Certification and Electronics Certification from his 29 years working at Kodak/Carestream. He graduated from West Irondequoit High School, and has worked at Monroe Kitchen Equipment as the General Manager and now partner for 4 years.
Joe is married with two kids – a son and a daughter.
ANTHONY SALEMME
Anthony Salemme graduated from West Irondequoit High School and then furthered his education at Monroe Community College and completed his studies with an Associates Degree in liberal arts. Anthony has worked many different jobs over the years, but he has been most successful in the sales arena. He has worked at Monroe Corporation for 23 years, starting as a salesman, and quasi-manager of Monroe Kitchen Equipment. Anthony has risen through the ranks at Monroe from salesman to sales manager and now CEO/partner. He is married with a young son.
MICHELLE GALLAHER
Michelle Gallaher moved to Rochester 22 years ago and started at Monroe Extinguisher Company in the accounting department. She quickly established herself as the go-to person in the accounting department for both companies and continued to advance within the organization. Michelle maintained the position of controller for over ten years and is now partner and Vice President. While not at work, Michelle enjoys horseback riding and hanging out with her two rescue pitties.
ADAM CURTIN
Adam Curtin attended high school at Aquinas Institute and graduated in 2001. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Alfred University. Adam worked in the Monroe Extinguisher shop every summer since he was a teenager. After he graduated college, he began working at Monroe full-time in 2005. Adam has been the purchasing and inventory manager at Monroe since 2006, while also working on Monroe’s social media campaign and e-commerce websites. Taking over the business from his father, Adam became President in 2022. Adam enjoys local sports teams, especially the Buffalo Bills. He plays fantasy football and attempts to play golf, albeit poorly. Adam and his fiancé have a young son.