Sam’s of Gedney Way Caters to WP Community
By Colette Connolly
When Peter Herrero, Jr., took over what is now Sam’s of Gedney Way during the late 1980s, he admits that times were tough. Indeed by the early 1990s, Herrero said his business was almost bankrupt. Today, Sam’s of Gedney Way is a thriving White Plains restaurant and part of a network of hospitality-related concerns known as the New York Hospitality Group.
Herrero and his wife, Karen, credit their success to a lot of hard work, a can-do attitude and a love of the hospitality industry. Prior to the success of the restaurant, which is a mainstay in the Gedney Park section of White Plains, Herrero struggled to find a successful niche. He eventually found it in NYHG, a catering and events business that consists of four subsidiaries and is headquartered at the popular restaurant.
“You could say that I cater to different identities for different products,” said Herrero, referring to the upscale American bistro and catering facility, Sam’s of Gedney Way; The Great American BBQ Company, a barbeque and picnic catering concern; Caperberry Events, a full-service catering company specializing in upscale formal events; and The C.V. Rich Mansion, an exclusive 13,000-square-foot catering facility.
“It’s like the Cadillac, the Buick and the Chevy,” explained Herrero. “One of them caters to the high end of the market; the other is middle of the road, and the other offers everyday value.”
The Caperberry company caters to a variety of elegant events, including weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, graduations, corporate events, and more at various stunning locations throughout the Hudson Valley region. They include the C.V. Rich Mansion in White Plains; the James House in Tarrytown; the Lyndhurst Estate, also in Tarrytown; the Scarsdale Woman’s Club; and the Mapleton at Good Counsel Academy, also in White Plains.
Over the years, Herrero, a White Plains native who now lives in Edgemont, has built relationships with various partners in associated industries, including local photographers, entertainment companies, florists, and vendors offering promotional gifts.
The Great American BBQ Company has served many of Westchester’s largest companies, including Bloomingdales, the Boy Scouts of America, Greenwich Hospital, Liz Claiborne, Starwood Hotels, and the Swiss-Re Corporation, to name a few. Whether it’s a company event or another type of social gathering, Herrero’s staff arranges everything, from creating themes, games, corporate challenges, music, tent arrangement, and check-in tables.
Herrero’s company has agreements with a number of public spaces in both Westchester and Connecticut. They include Camp Kiwi in Mahopac; Crawford Park in Rye Brook; the Damiano Center, also in Rye; the Queens County Farm Museum, and a number of public parks in both Connecticut and Westchester.
Herrero considers Sam’s the quintessential neighborhood restaurant, similar in philosophy to the original restaurant that Russian immigrant Sam Eisenstein created back in the 1930s. Herrero believes he is following in Eisenstein’s tradition by providing excellence in food and service, and guaranteeing a special and personable dining experience to local guests and to those who come to Sam’s for the first time.
“I’m not looking to be everything to everybody,” noted Herrero, referring to the varied nature of his businesses. “But I will say that Karen and I have a genuine sense of hospitality and enjoy making special moments for our clients, celebrating their lives and making memories.”
A familiar face around the city, Herrero is on the board of the Business Council of Westchester and the Westchester Community College Foundation, and is charitable as well, giving back to numerous organizations around the county, including the Food Bank of Westchester, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Pajama Foundation, among others.
The consummate perfectionist and visionary, Herrero believes that his “best work is when it’s in synergy” with other projects and other people. “I guess you could say that I am very good at connecting the dots.”
For more information on the NY Hospitality Group, visit www.nyhgroup.com. To reserve a table at Sam’s of Gedney Way, call (914) 949-0978 or visit the website www.samsofgedneyway.com and book through Open Table.
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.