Our Team     Culinary Team   Chef Larry The leader of NYFC’s culinary team, Chef Flentie is continually bringing new, innovative ideas to the table. In the past couple years he has introduced cooking classes and winemaker dinners to NYFC’s repertoire. And he is always finding sources from around the world for new products and ideas that bring together different tastes, styles and cultures together to add excitement, flavor and color to every menu.   Rick Meditz Chef Meditz has been with NYFC since 1989. As kitchen & production manager for the Chefs With Altitude (CWA) division, he oversees the operations, scheduling and staffing for a 24 hour operation. With Chef Meditz in charge, you can feel confident that everything about your CWA event will be handled with care.   Alfonso Alvarado Chef Alvarado loves the kitchen but his favorite place to be is at an event site at the pasta station or other NYFC interactive food stations. His charming personality is perfect for talking with guests as he creates perfect pasta cooked while they wait. Customer Service   Terri Grooms As Customer Service Manager of NYFC’s corporate business, Terri Grooms speaks with almost every customer at one time or another. Her friendly voice is always there, ready to take or confirm an order. With NYFC for 18 years in a number of positions, Terri also is responsible for processing all menus for all events, whether off-premise or at one of our three locations. There isn’t an event or order that doesn’t cross Terri’s desk. Her multi-tasking talents are very important to NYFC and to you -- whenever you call NYFC, you’ll be happy that she is here, working to make sure everything you order is on time, and right the first time!   Brett Vihnanek As our Customer Service Representative, Brett is on the phone every day with you, helping you make the right choices for your in-office dining and catering needs. For the past three years he has been one of the people you probably talk to most at NYFC but did you know that he has 20 years experience in customer service for the retail and hospitality industry? Or that he makes a mean brisket? Next time you call, ask him his secret! CWA   Beth Bjorklund Beth Bjorklund has been with NYFC since 2007. Prior to joining the CWA team, Beth was a commercial flight attendant for Horizon Air. She grew up in Northern California and has worked in the food and hospitality industry for most of her life. Her extensive in-flight knowledge, outstanding customer service skills and love of food and entertaining have made Beth an essential part of the success of CWA.   Andrea Hachiya Andrea has always had an affinity for entertaining and event planning. Before joining CWA, Andrea managed a catering service whose clients included celebrities, their fan clubs, and several prominent Hollywood night clubs. Now with CWA, Andrea is able to merge her event planning skills with her passion for offering clients a level of service that she would expect for herself. Andrea understands the importance of being detail oriented and thorough, and more importantly she recognizes that the best service is given with a smile!   Sarah Jafar Sarah is a CWA account manager with experience in the hospitality and aviation industries. Throughout her career, she has traveled and worked in the Middle East and Gulf regions, gaining extensive knowledge of different cultures and customs. Sarah also speaks four languages, which has facilitated her professional growth and her ability to interact with clients from different backgrounds. Sarah believes that each client should receive tailored services based on their individual and specific needs. Off-Premise   Linda Kay For the past 8 years, Linda has shared her energetic and out-going personality and extensive knowledge of off-premise catering with her ever-growing list of high-profile clients. As one of our top event stylists, Linda produces a wide variety of unique and flawless events that provides her an outlet to express her organizational skills and creativity in myriad ways.   Jeannie Nero Now in charge of NYFC off-premise division, Jeannie has been with the company since 1992 working in many capacities and has an impressive long-standing client base. Jeannie believes forward thinking plays a big part in executing successful events; anticipating client needs and being prepared keeps her team one step ahead. Whether Jeannie is consulting on a large-scale corporate event or designer wedding her attention to detail and hands on approach remain the same. Jeannie is convinced a successful event designer is involved with their clients from the initial conception to the much-anticipated day of. The ultimate compliment of course is a past client requesting a repeat performance. Venues   Sara Lehnberg As an event designer at Verandas, Sara understands not only what the client wants, but what the guest wants to experience at a wedding or an event. Her 11 years with NYFC include an apprenticeship as a server, and those skills, coupled with her PR background and her innate organizational ability help Sara create unique events at which everyone feels special.   Michael Halish Over the past 16 years, Mike has become one of the driving forces that allow us to create so many successful events. As Director of Sales, Mike is in charge of operations at both La Venta and Verandas. His favorite part of the job is meeting people and experiencing the cultural diversity that makes each wedding so unique. Mike is a detail oriented person, which has a calming influence on those around him and allows his clients sit back and truly enjoy their events.   Tim Kennedy Tim Kennedy has been part of our team since October, 2001; at first working in the office learning the ropes and later moving into sales and event planning. In this postion, Tim's people skills and eye for details make him a natural at producing flawless weddings and events. As an event coordinator, Tim has created many perfect, beautiful events and weddings, always with the goal of the ultimate thank you - a smile.   Charla Mandzak Charla’s favorite part of being the Manager and Assistant Event Designer at NYFC’s ocean-view is showing La Venta to couples for the first time. The venue, with, as she likes to say “all its nooks and crannies,” never fails to charm them and like her, they fall in love with it. “I never get over that wedding march in the garden or the look on the groom’s face when he fist sees his bride.”   Lauren Harvey Lauren has been with New York Food Company for the past 5 years. She quickly went from an Assistant Event Designer, to being a full-fledged Event Planner. She has an eye for design and can put together a delicious cutting edge menu. She is also responsible for our informative and fun postings in our brand new NYFC Weddings Blog   Kelly Matsushita Kelly has been in the hospitality industry for over nine years with experience ranging from catering to food writing. She received her Bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach in Hospitality Food service & Hotel Management. As an event coordinator at La Venta, her creativity, organization, and attention to detail assist in her ability to design and execute amazing events.