With the global catering services market growing at 4.5% a year and expected to reach $614.47 billion this year according to the research firm Beroe, Inc., a catering venue in New City in Rockland County is has been making expansion efforts of its own. RH241 Farm to Family, owned by Andrew Michaels, is located at 241 S. Little Tor Road. They specialize in farm fresh and locally sourced ingredients.
In addition to the food service it offers for private events, RH241 offers a lunch menu and other takeout service through its walkup ordering window featuring items such as Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad, Roasted Veggie Hummus Bowl and RH241 Tuna Sandwich.
“The pandemic rocked our industry perhaps harder than any other,” Michaels told the Business Journals. “We”™re in the business of bringing people together and the virus forced us apart. But that hiatus gave us time to really explore the options for this new multi-functional space.”
Michaels has nearly twenty years of experience in the catering field and has built a reputation as one of the premier private chefs in the area. Michaels wanted to bring his farm-driven cuisine to a wider audience and provide a unique venue in Rockland. The farm-driven food theme fits nicely with views from his facility of the historic Cropsey Community Farm across the street. The 25 acres of farmland were saved from development and are home not only to crops but to a popular farmers’ market as well.
Michaels became interested in food preparation as a child, cooking at home. After college he landed his first job working for a company in the event business where he learned about hospitality and creating events. He launched his first food venture in 2012 selling an ice cream sandwich he named SMUSH.
“As a kid I worked at the local Häagen-Dazs and at my father”™s frozen yogurt store,” Michaels said. “I knew I wanted to move into real food. I started my catering company. The response so far has been tremendous and I am excited to open the new venue and welcome people looking for a unique culinary and party experience.”
Michaels said that micro-weddings are growing in popularity and he hopes to appeal to that market segment at his venue that can seat up to 90.
“We will also be hosting special events which are trending now including unique paint and sip nights and chef table supper club options, and of course the space is available for business meetings and events,” Michaels said.
“We have fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic. We are excited about the opportunity to finally open our renovated space. We gutted it in February of 2020 and then everything was on hold for a four-month period. It was after that point that we decided, like many others, to pivot and see how we could change our business model,” Michaels said. “We opened ”˜The Window”™ and offered breakfast and lunch featuring creative choices that you wouldn”™t find anywhere nearby such as Korean-Kimchi Short Rib Tacos and Filet Mignon French Dip Sandwiches as well as fun coffee items like our Cookies ”˜n Cream Lattes and an array of fresh baked goods like Crème Brule donuts. It was incredibly well-received and has sustained us over the past several years. We are looking forward to getting back to a new normal at RH241.”
