A fire that broke out during pre-dawn hours Friday caused extensive damage to a 77-year-old catering business near Midway Airport that cooks thousands of meals for the elderly each day, officials said.

Since 1946, Georgis Catering has provided the Chicago area with “the finest quality food with creative presentation and the best service possible,” according to the company’s website. The site claims a lengthy list of famous clients, including multiple Fortune 500 companies; music stars like the Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra; the White Sox, Blackhawks, Cubs, Bulls and other professional sports teams; as well as former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George Bush, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

Shortly after midnight, firefighters were called to the blaze in the 6300 block of South Central Avenue, according to the Chicago Fire Department Twitter page. Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the business sustained extensive damage.

Owner George “Buz” Georgis could not be reached for comment.

Becky Walowski, an employee for the catering business, said co-workers had left the kitchen at about 11:30 p.m. She said she started getting calls around 3 a.m. that the building was on fire.

She added that the catering company provides about 2,000 meals for seniors daily in the suburbs from Calumet City to Dolton and in Melrose Park and Maywood.

Lauren Doherty, chief executive officer of the Meals on Wheels Foundation of Northern Illinois, said those 2,000 seniors didn’t receive hot meals Friday because of the fire.

But before winter, the nonprofit had provided those seniors with boxes of five nonperishable meals to keep in case of emergencies, “so that’s what we’re relying on for today,” she said.

Doherty added that the nonprofit is searching for other caterers, so that hot meals can resume next week.

According to the nonprofit, the fire impeded hot meal service at multiple Cook County sites. Programs in Will, Kendall and Grundy counties were not affected.

“We are devastated at the loss that our catering partner, George ‘Buz’ Georgis at Georgis Catering, has endured,” Doherty said in a written statement. “For over a decade, Georgis Catering has provided nearly 10,000 meals per week to Cook County’s most vulnerable seniors. Buz is a kind soul who has always shown up for our clients, and Georgis Catering truly helped make a difference in our communities.”

Walowski said the catering business does plan to reopen, fast. She said the owner’s first words this morning were, “How fast can we get into another kitchen?”

She also said they can’t stop working because there’s too much business going on, and “there’s too many people being affected.”