With Farm To Table Flair, Caterer Creates Event Venue In New City

NEW CITY, NY — After two decades as a caterer, with a growing reputation as a private chef, Andrew Michaels has expanded his company RH241 with an event space right across the street from the historic Cropsey Farm.

The venue, named RH241 Farm to Family, combines rustic and chic, reflecting Michaels' preference for farm-to-table-with-flair. The culinary team at RH241 is well versed in many different styles of cuisine based on the customer's needs — as the website says, they've "been in the business of pleasing people's palates for nearly two decades."

"The menus that we create are all custom for our interior and exterior catering," he told Patch.

He uses a wide array of purveyors, with an emphasis on seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients.

"I try not to go around trends, although I follow food concepts," he said. "One of the reasons I got into this business is that I am an innovator and I wanna set the trends, not follow!"

It's not his first venture into the more public-facing side of the food industry.

His first company was an ice-cream sandwich business in New York City that mimicked a traditional NYC deli. "After selling SMUSH I knew I wanted to move into real food, so naturally, having a built-in customer-base I started my catering company," he said.

He then decided to expand as an event venue, and had just about finished renovating the space when COVID-19 hit — so he pivoted, creating a new use for the ice cream window still extant from the previous owners, and giving people a chance to order online and pick up food. The Window is still operating, and if you want to drool, just check out the lunch menu.

Michaels told Patch the biggest change about adding the event venue has been the overall scope of responsibility.

"Having to juggle staff, inventory, scheduling etc. … it’s a lot, but I’m ready for it and have been doing this for a long time!" he said.

The local community was instantly receptive and excited, he said. "Because we started slow by just opening The Window we were able to garner a nice clientele that already knows and trust us, so to offer them and new customers something brand new and innovative is very exciting!"

By the way, R stands for Red, H stands for Hill, and 241 is the street number on South Little Tor Road.

"We’re thrilled to take our catering business to the next level and bring our signature culinary and event style to more people in Rockland, Bergen, New York City and beyond," said Michaels, who grew up in northern New Jersey. "We look forward to serving brides, expecting mothers, and their friends and family on their special days with our fantastic combination of innovative food, beautiful location, and stellar service all customized to fit their budget."

For more information about RH241 or to book an event, www.rheventspace.com or call (845) 638-2233.