Rob Handel Catering

Chef, forager, teacher

I’ve had a passion since childhood to create. Farm-to-table long before it was a buzzword. Creating everything from soaps and textiles to meals designed around locally sourced and foraged foods.

I am currently the executive chef at The Bees Knees Cafe, a farm to table cafe located on Heather Ridge Farm, an Animal Welfare Approved farm that raises grass fed and pastured meats, poultry, eggs, and honey. We're available to cater private events and curated dinner parties using locally-resourced, seasonal foods. Special consideration is taken for gluten free and paleo diets, vegetarian meals may be prepared by request. 

In addition to weekly brunch and lunch offerings, we organize a monthly "Supper Club" at the farm. This is a five or six course tasting dinner crafted with our own meats and complemented by locally grown and foraged produce, herbs, and flavors. I also teach monthly cooking classes that aim to provide a technique based approach to cooking that is accessible to cooks of all skill levels. For more information about the tasting dinners and cooking classes, please visit the Heather Ridge Farm website HERE

Please take a moment to review a sampling of my work on these pages.

 

Weddings and Rehearsals

 
 

A Different kind of “Wedding Catering”…

I revel in the opportunity to make your wedding or rehearsal dinner a central part of the celebration for you and your guests. Specializing in unique venues and off-beat events, I offer bespoke and one-of-a-kind menus driven by local and seasonal ingredients sourced from the best farms and producers in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Hand sourced and handmade, none of my offerings come off a delivery truck.


Be it in a Barn, or a field…

With over a decade of a experience preparing gourmet meals in unlikely locations I’m able to offer you and your guests a special menu in just about any surrounding. From upscale preparations to live fire cooking over charcoal and hardwoods.


Fresh and Fitting…

I only offer dishes that will shine under the circumstances and in the season that you’re enjoying them. While some wedding meals suffer in a food warmer for hours before they’re served, my offerings are prepared fresh on-site and are thoughtfully chosen to fit the logistics of the day and locale.

Sample Menues

Summer Menu

Autumn Menu