Andy got his feet wet in the industry shortly after moving to NYC in 2004. Starting as a waiter at an outdoor bar and grill in Queens, and after a few diversions into managing a handful of nightclubs in the city, he eventually rose through the ranks to achieve the level of Chef at a large, international foodservice company.
While working at that corporate behemoth of a food company, Andy began to hash out his escape plan in the form of opening his own catering and foodservice company. His passion for scratch cooking and using whole ingredients would define the company he envisioned, whether the menu were a complex plated dinner at a private event or a burger and fry basket at a music festival.
In 2013 Andy realized his vision by opening his catering company with a partner with many years in the business. For the next two years they operated within the New York metro area and were overjoyed by the immediate success. The opportunities came quickly during this period, relying on word of mouth referrals to lead from one event to the next. However Andy and his partner were still working their “day jobs,” not yet fully convinced that taking that leap was prudent. This time was exhausting and led to deep reflection.
After two years of operation Andy wanted to focus on expanding beyond the geographical region of NYC and focus on large opportunities throughout the country. His partner was not prepared and comfortable to take that next step. So they parted ways after two years of successful operations.
In 2015, after buying out his former partner, Andy invited his close friend and accomplished Chef to join him in the business. They shared a common vision for the direction of the business and they took the plunge without blinking. The first event they booked was 1300 miles away in Miami. The second and third events were 2600 miles away in Indio, CA. Andy’s vision of taking his business cross-country had been realized in a short 3 years.
Andy’s passion for menu development, scratch cooking and utilizing seasonal and local ingredients has inspired his menus for a wide range of events. He’s just as comfortable making chicken fingers and fries from scratch at the Super Bowl, as he is preparing a plated branzino dish at a wedding. His joy is creativity and his journey through foodservice has driven his passion to create foods that are fun to eat, part of an overall experience, and focused on using only whole ingredients.
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