Business Profile: Nuttin To It! Express Cuisine and Catering, Yorktown
He is a caterer to the stars but he lays his head down each night in Yorktown, so why would he consider opening up a storefront anywhere else?
Rob Del Balzo, owner of Nuttin to It! Catering, has made a name for himself by providing meals for the Onion News Network, Comedy Central, “Celebrity Apprentice,” the Food Network and other productions. With his success it is amazing to find out he almost went into a career in finance.
Del Balzo grew up in a family that loved to cook. His grandfather owned a catering restaurant in Elmford in the 1980s and his mother Carol knew her way around the kitchen. By 14 years old he was a bus boy and food runner at local establishments.
“I started out as a bus boy in a restaurant and I waited tables and I just wanted to learn,” said Del Balzo, who is married to Cathy Del Balzo, a kindergarten teacher at Mohansic Elementary School. “So when there was an opportunity to cook I would get in the kitchen, like when I used to work for Grandma’s [in Yorktown].”
Upon graduation from Yorktown High School in 1995, Del Balzo continued to learn the ins and outs of the food industry. Then he changed course by going into financing and working for Citigroup in 2006, all the while he kept his passion for cooking close to his heart.
Then in 2009 he found himself without a job. A friend, Matt Arruda, was in his off season and together they agreed to cater the 90th birthday of Arruda’s grandfather. People were impressed and the two started thinking that they could be on to something.
Subsequently Del Balzo and Arruda catered a conference for child care directors and the women attending loved the food so much they wanted Del Balzo to supply everyone in their facilities with two meals a day, breakfast and lunch. Then a friend of theirs who was a producer used them to cater a production. Word spread about the food and Nuttin to It! Caterers was in full swing.
For years they worked out of the kitchen at the Elks Lodge in Yorktown. Then in January 2011 Del Balzo bought his friend out of the business and carried the load on his own.
Del Balzo identified a problem and realized the only solution was to grow.
“When these shows are filming I need like five or six guys on my staff, but when they are not filming, when they are in pre- or post-production, I did not have any work for them except for the daycares and that was not enough to keep them employed,” said Del Balzo. “So I figured it would be nice to open up a local place to have a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. We have hearty cooked meals that you can either eat it here or take it home with you.”
The menu of Nuttin To It! Express Cuisine includes many of the staple dishes that Del Balzo has made a name for himself with, including the pulled pork sandwiches and smoked mac and cheese, which won him the 2012 Taste of Yorktown contest.
His catering menu is custom designed to meet the needs of any budget or dietary needs. A popular choice is Chicken Carol, a seasoned boneless chicken breast sautéed in a white wine and tomato reduction with caramelized shallots and garlic with artichokes, olives, and mushrooms, which was inspired in memory of Del Balzo’s mother Carol.
Nuttin to It! Express Cuisine and Catering is located at 2013 Crompond Road in Yorktown Heights next to the Cablevision store. For more information or to place an order, call (914) 245-0500 or email info@nuttintoit.com. Menus are available online at nuttintoit.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
