Company: CHEF
Filing Date: 2025-03-26
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001517175-25-000003
Chunk: 41

Company: Chefs' Warehouse, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-26
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 41
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 on behalf of the Compensation Committee as needed in connection with advising the Compensation Committee. While the Compensation Committee considered input from FW Cook, the Compensation Committee’s decisions ultimately reflect many factors and considerations.

For fiscal 2024, the Compensation Committee reviewed the independence of FW Cook pursuant to SEC rules and the Nasdaq Listing Rules and concluded that FW Cook was independent and that its work for the Compensation Committee did not raise any conflict of interest.

The Compensation Committee typically meets during the first quarter of each fiscal year to set compensation for that fiscal year and did so in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. For fiscal 2024, FW Cook and management assisted with the compensation-setting process. The Compensation Committee worked with FW Cook to formulate compensation decisions for our chief executive officer and our vice chairman and chief operating officer. Management, with input from FW Cook, made recommendations to the Compensation Committee for the rest of the executive officers. Recommendations were accompanied by competitive market data from the peer groups established by the Compensation Committee in consultation with FW Cook. This peer group analysis is discussed in further detail in “ EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION - Compensation Discussion and Analysis - Competitive Marketplace Assessment. ”

In setting fiscal 2024 compensation for our named executive officers, the Compensation Committee, following discussions with management and FW Cook, considered the compensation practices of the companies within our peer groups, our operating performance in fiscal 2023 and each of our named executive officer’s performance in fiscal 2023. Our chief executive officer was not present when the Compensation Committee deliberated or voted on his compensation.

#### Advisory Say-on-Pay Proposal
In May of 2024, our stockholders overwhelmingly approved an advisory say-on-pay proposal at our 2024 annual meeting of stockholders with over 93% of the shares represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal voting FOR the proposal. The Compensation Committee reviewed the results of the stockholder vote at our 2024 annual meeting and took the high percentage of votes cast in favor of the proposal as an indication that our stockholders supported the pay for performance approach that we have adopted. This was further supported by the positive feedback we received regarding our executive compensation structure during stockholder outreach in fiscal 2024. The Compensation Committee will continue to monitor our compensation structure and consider the results of advisory say-on-pay votes of our stockholders on compensation issues as part of our ongoing engagement during this proxy season.

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#### Compensation Philosophy and Objectives
The principal objectives of our executive compensation program are to attract,