About Us
Cermele's Corporate Caterers is a full-service, off-premises catering company serving businesses and private individuals in the NY Metropolitan area and in particular, Westchester County. In addition to catering Westchester's finest private parties from 2 to 500 people, we also service various cafés of renowned corporations and are the primary caterers for their executive and staff events.
Ours is an owner-operated, family-run business with over 40 years experience in the catering and deli business. The quality of our food, our attention to detail and our reasonable pricing has made us a favorite among the many companies that provide similar—but never the same—services.
After an honorable discharge, he founded Cermele's Supermarket in New Rochelle, a family affair which he ran from 1975-1991. His next venture, owner of Buon Amici Italian Delights in Yonkers, brought in the catering element to corporate businesses in the area. In 2001, a new corporate client was so impressed after having had an event catered by Cermele's that they asked Mario to run their corporate café. Thus was born Cermele's Corporate Caterers.
Today, Mario runs the day-to-day operations of a company that services four corporate cafés in the southern Westchester area as well as the corporate and private catering end. On any given morning, you can find him at the markets, shopping for the freshest fruits, vegetables and meats available. The owner takes great pride in the fact that the company is still small enough to care about everything—not a large conglomerate where the corporate bottom line takes precedence over the client's satisfaction.
Today, Mario runs the day-to-day operations of a company that services four corporate cafés in the southern Westchester area as well as the corporate and private catering end. On any given morning, you can find him at the markets, shopping for the freshest fruits, vegetables and meats available. The owner takes great pride in the fact that the company is still small enough to care about everything—not a large conglomerate where the corporate bottom line takes precedence over the client's satisfaction.
Cermele's goal is always the same: to meet our customers needs, both in the quality of our food and service and to deliver our products at price points that everyone can enjoy.
Mario Cermele
Founder and Owner
Cermele's Corporate Caterers is headed by Mario Cermele, a veteran of the food service industry where he has worked in various capacities for over 40 years.
Mario hails from Sant’Elia a Pianisi, Campobasso, Italy and is proud of his Italian heritage and all that it embodies. As a result, his food and philosophy towards client service reflect the spirit of his native country and its rich culinary traditions.
Fresh ingredients, abundant selections, generous service, beauty in ambiance and sincerity in hospitality are absolute essentials in every one of Cermele's undertakings.
Mario's professional culinary journey began as a cook in the armed forces, where he first learned to service large groups. He still remembers his first task, preparing 142 trays of cornbread for his regiment. His creative use of spicing won rave reviews from the men and he quickly progressed in the kitchen.
When Mario is not busy working with clients, he enjoys spending time with his four beautiful daughters Nicole, Amy, Ashley Lauren and Danielle.
Our Corporate Cafes
HARRISON
Cafe 440
440 Mamaroneck Avenue
(914) 777-3220
With over 40 top-quality items to chhose from, it's no wonder that employees come from all over to lunch in our cafes.
All our cafes are open to the public. Feel free to stop by and try us out!
Cafe 450
450 Mamaroneck Avenue
(914) 732-3103
TARRYTOWN
Cafe 303
303 S. Broadway
(914) 333-7733
Cafe 520
520 White Plains Road
(914) 631-2262
Frequently Asked Questions
BUILDING MANAGERS/CORPORATE FOOD SERVICE MANAGERS:
Why should I hire Cermele's to manage our corporate café?
There are, of course, a number of reasons, but in a nutshell: Cermele's greatest strength lies in listening to their customers and going the extra mile to understand what they want. Yes, our food is fantastic and always fresh and yes, it is carefully presented and beautifully prepared, but that's not all of it. It's things like offering a large variety of items on our salad bar because we know how important it is for café visitors to beable to control what they eat. It's using stronger, sturdier equipment that will handle almost any capacity order for corporate clients. It's being able to accomodate almost any request, even though it means saying that it's not something we do ourselves but will collaborate with one of our partners to get done. We want nothing more than for you to be able to tell your corporate clients that leasing space in your building is a smart move because it will almost certainly guarantee that their employees will be well-fed and sated—and thus happier and more productive.
What can I expect to see at a café run by Cermele's?
At a Cermele's café you'll see a multitude of flavors and varieties. For one thing, we do not believe that shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers make a salad. We offer the largest salad bar anywhere, averaging a wide variety of items to choose from. Our selections are prepared fresh daily, on the premises, and they change every day. So every time you walk up to our salad bar, it's a new adventure in taste.
We also offer a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps and paninis. We excel in our daily hot entrées and soups. We make our own pizzas and specialty calzones and pizza rolls every day—these are not pre-made products, but pizzeria-quality fare prepared by our own real pizza chefs. We have fresh coffee all day using our own special blend and for those who are on the run, we always have a wide variety of popular snacks in our vending machines. Our equipment and facilities are modern, neat, clean and welcoming, and are employees are always happy to help.
Do you use trans fats?
No, we are trans-fat free in accordance with the Westchester County Department of Health Sanitary Code.
FOR CORPORATE CATERING EVENTS/HUMAN RESOURCE/MARKETING MANAGERS:
Some caterers seem to pull out all the stops with their food only for large fancy events. We need to cater to small groups of five as well as large groups. How do you compare?
At Cermele's we treat every order with the same high level of professionalism. No matter what the size of the group, you can be assured that your request will result in food that rates very highly in taste, quality and presentation. No catering opportunity is too small or too large. We are capable of handling any event from small gourmet lunches to large 500+ people picnics.
I want to have an outdoor tent event at our corporate location. Can you help?
Not to worry; Cermele's is quite experienced at creating the perfect atmosphere needed for a tent event. We can supply all the items necessary from the tents to tables and chairs to BBQ grills and cooks. We can also help supply entertainment. You just need to let us know when and where. Cermele's is a full-service catering company for all our clients—big, small private and corporate. We can help create an event that exudes elegance as well as one that is fun for children.
We often have international corporate executives that visit us. How can Cermele's accommodate their preferences?
The beauty of our food is that the great majority of what we serve in our cafés transcends most cultural boundaries. It is familiar and delicious fare whose makings are easily recognizable—there are no pretentious ingredients or complicated recipes. Also, if your visitor has a request for a special dish, we at Cermele's choose to rise to the challenge rather than pass up the opportunity. There is almost no cuisine that we have not mastered and we will do our best to prepare the dish. Should that dish be beyond our scope, however, we would certainly have it brought in through one of our catering partners who specializes in that particular cuisine. But we can tell you from experience that your visitors will most likely be able to eat very well with Ceremele's and that you will impress them with your ability to handle their needs.
We don't like to serve our visiting executives using paper plates and plastic. What can Cermele's do about this?
We can certainly appreciate your desire to extend VIP treatment. To this end, we always maintain high-end dinnerware as well as china and silver service if requested. You are always welcome to speak with any of our catering managers for more ideas on accommodating VIPs.
Wow, Cermele's Menu has so many choices, I'm having difficulty choosing the right menu for our business meeting. Can you help?
Yes, we do have a number of menu choices on our main catering menu but we do so because we really try to please everyone's palate and well, we have a great passion for food! For your convenience, however, we've created our standard Menus and these can be viewed on our Menus page. Our standard Menus consider the service and budget needs of your group and include selections that based on our experience will appeal to just about everyone.
We also have a more gourmet selection of food choices available and these can be viewed in our Executive Menus section.
Of course, your café's manager is always available to help you with planning and menu selections as well.
FOR EMPLOYEES:
What are the café's hours?
Our cafés are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days. We serve breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coffee is available all day long as are packaged snacks, fresh fruit etc.
What and how do you make deliveries?
We deliver anything that is on our menu, listed as our daily special or anything that is in our snack machines between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. We do not charge for deliveries for total orders over $5.00.
What payment do you accept?
We accept cash and major credit cards.
Why don't you list your specials for the week all at one time?
Because we buy fresh from the markets every day, we don't decide what our specials will be until the afternoon of the preceding day.
FOR HOSTS LOOKING TO HAVE YOUR EVENT CATERED:
What does Cermele's provide?
For the majority of our events, we generally provide
- All food - appetizers, main meal and accompaniments, and dessert including the event cake (our cakes rival anything you'll get from a specialty bakery)
- All beverages - bottled water and soda, beer and wine, coffees and teas. We do not provide liquor. We will serve a champagne toast if you provide us with the champagne.
How do you price the event?
We price on a per person basis that includes all taxes and fees and is provided to you in a written quote after relevant discussions about your event with one of our catering managers. Essentially, the price takes into account the cost of the food, beverages, tableware and servingware to be used and the services to be provided.
Can you give me some examples of your pricing?
Since all prices are affected by market conditions at the time of the event, it's best to call us and we'll be hapy to go over your menu with you.
Why should I hire Cermele's to manage our corporate café?
There are, of course, a number of reasons, but in a nutshell: Cermele's greatest strength lies in listening to their customers and going the extra mile to understand what they want. Yes, our food is fantastic and always fresh and yes, it is carefully presented and beautifully prepared, but that's not all of it. It's things like offering a large variety of items on our salad bar because we know how important it is for café visitors to beable to control what they eat. It's using stronger, sturdier equipment that will handle almost any capacity order for corporate clients. It's being able to accomodate almost any request, even though it means saying that it's not something we do ourselves but will collaborate with one of our partners to get done. We want nothing more than for you to be able to tell your corporate clients that leasing space in your building is a smart move because it will almost certainly guarantee that their employees will be well-fed and sated—and thus happier and more productive.
There are, of course, a number of reasons, but in a nutshell: Cermele's greatest strength lies in listening to their customers and going the extra mile to understand what they want. Yes, our food is fantastic and always fresh and yes, it is carefully presented and beautifully prepared, but that's not all of it. It's things like offering a large variety of items on our salad bar because we know how important it is for café visitors to beable to control what they eat. It's using stronger, sturdier equipment that will handle almost any capacity order for corporate clients. It's being able to accomodate almost any request, even though it means saying that it's not something we do ourselves but will collaborate with one of our partners to get done. We want nothing more than for you to be able to tell your corporate clients that leasing space in your building is a smart move because it will almost certainly guarantee that their employees will be well-fed and sated—and thus happier and more productive.
What can I expect to see at a café run by Cermele's?
At a Cermele's café you'll see a multitude of flavors and varieties. For one thing, we do not believe that shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers make a salad. We offer the largest salad bar anywhere, averaging a wide variety of items to choose from. Our selections are prepared fresh daily, on the premises, and they change every day. So every time you walk up to our salad bar, it's a new adventure in taste.
We also offer a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps and paninis. We excel in our daily hot entrées and soups. We make our own pizzas and specialty calzones and pizza rolls every day—these are not pre-made products, but pizzeria-quality fare prepared by our own real pizza chefs. We have fresh coffee all day using our own special blend and for those who are on the run, we always have a wide variety of popular snacks in our vending machines. Our equipment and facilities are modern, neat, clean and welcoming, and are employees are always happy to help.
Do you use trans fats?
No, we are trans-fat free in accordance with the Westchester County Department of Health Sanitary Code.
FOR CORPORATE CATERING EVENTS/HUMAN RESOURCE/MARKETING MANAGERS:
Some caterers seem to pull out all the stops with their food only for large fancy events. We need to cater to small groups of five as well as large groups. How do you compare?
At Cermele's we treat every order with the same high level of professionalism. No matter what the size of the group, you can be assured that your request will result in food that rates very highly in taste, quality and presentation. No catering opportunity is too small or too large. We are capable of handling any event from small gourmet lunches to large 500+ people picnics.
At Cermele's we treat every order with the same high level of professionalism. No matter what the size of the group, you can be assured that your request will result in food that rates very highly in taste, quality and presentation. No catering opportunity is too small or too large. We are capable of handling any event from small gourmet lunches to large 500+ people picnics.
I want to have an outdoor tent event at our corporate location. Can you help?
Not to worry; Cermele's is quite experienced at creating the perfect atmosphere needed for a tent event. We can supply all the items necessary from the tents to tables and chairs to BBQ grills and cooks. We can also help supply entertainment. You just need to let us know when and where. Cermele's is a full-service catering company for all our clients—big, small private and corporate. We can help create an event that exudes elegance as well as one that is fun for children.
We often have international corporate executives that visit us. How can Cermele's accommodate their preferences?
The beauty of our food is that the great majority of what we serve in our cafés transcends most cultural boundaries. It is familiar and delicious fare whose makings are easily recognizable—there are no pretentious ingredients or complicated recipes. Also, if your visitor has a request for a special dish, we at Cermele's choose to rise to the challenge rather than pass up the opportunity. There is almost no cuisine that we have not mastered and we will do our best to prepare the dish. Should that dish be beyond our scope, however, we would certainly have it brought in through one of our catering partners who specializes in that particular cuisine. But we can tell you from experience that your visitors will most likely be able to eat very well with Ceremele's and that you will impress them with your ability to handle their needs.
We don't like to serve our visiting executives using paper plates and plastic. What can Cermele's do about this?
We can certainly appreciate your desire to extend VIP treatment. To this end, we always maintain high-end dinnerware as well as china and silver service if requested. You are always welcome to speak with any of our catering managers for more ideas on accommodating VIPs.
Wow, Cermele's Menu has so many choices, I'm having difficulty choosing the right menu for our business meeting. Can you help?
Yes, we do have a number of menu choices on our main catering menu but we do so because we really try to please everyone's palate and well, we have a great passion for food! For your convenience, however, we've created our standard Menus and these can be viewed on our Menus page. Our standard Menus consider the service and budget needs of your group and include selections that based on our experience will appeal to just about everyone.
We also have a more gourmet selection of food choices available and these can be viewed in our Executive Menus section.
Of course, your café's manager is always available to help you with planning and menu selections as well.
FOR EMPLOYEES:
What are the café's hours?
Our cafés are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days. We serve breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coffee is available all day long as are packaged snacks, fresh fruit etc.
Our cafés are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days. We serve breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coffee is available all day long as are packaged snacks, fresh fruit etc.
What and how do you make deliveries?
We deliver anything that is on our menu, listed as our daily special or anything that is in our snack machines between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. We do not charge for deliveries for total orders over $5.00.
What payment do you accept?
We accept cash and major credit cards.
Why don't you list your specials for the week all at one time?
Because we buy fresh from the markets every day, we don't decide what our specials will be until the afternoon of the preceding day.
Why don't you list your specials for the week all at one time?
Because we buy fresh from the markets every day, we don't decide what our specials will be until the afternoon of the preceding day.
FOR HOSTS LOOKING TO HAVE YOUR EVENT CATERED:
What does Cermele's provide?
For the majority of our events, we generally provide
For the majority of our events, we generally provide
- All food - appetizers, main meal and accompaniments, and dessert including the event cake (our cakes rival anything you'll get from a specialty bakery)
- All beverages - bottled water and soda, beer and wine, coffees and teas. We do not provide liquor. We will serve a champagne toast if you provide us with the champagne.
How do you price the event?
We price on a per person basis that includes all taxes and fees and is provided to you in a written quote after relevant discussions about your event with one of our catering managers. Essentially, the price takes into account the cost of the food, beverages, tableware and servingware to be used and the services to be provided.
We price on a per person basis that includes all taxes and fees and is provided to you in a written quote after relevant discussions about your event with one of our catering managers. Essentially, the price takes into account the cost of the food, beverages, tableware and servingware to be used and the services to be provided.
Can you give me some examples of your pricing?
Since all prices are affected by market conditions at the time of the event, it's best to call us and we'll be hapy to go over your menu with you.
