H&J Hospitality was formed in 2005 and began with the purchase of the Ithaca landmark, Joe’s Restaurant, a popular eatery and gathering place since 1932. The new owner, Jamie Ciaschi, set out to build a food and beverage corporation using Joe’s Restaurant as the base from which H&J Hospitality would eventually grow. In 2008, H&J Hospitality began its catering business by hosting a Cornell University fraternity formal at the Museum of the Earth. Since that time they have grown into one of the largest caterers in the Finger Lakes region. In 2009, H&J Hospitality entered into a catering contract with the Johnson School at Cornell University, which has become a cornerstone of their catering business.
Once H&J Hospitality stabilized the catering business, they quickly tapped into the wedding market, which has proven to be the biggest customer base that they serve. Continuing to grow, H&J Hospitality entered into an agreement with Cayuga County to be the exclusive operator of the Emerson Park Pavilion on the tip of Owasco Lake in Auburn, NY in 2011. In June of 2012, Emerson Park Pavilion completed its $4 million renovation. In the same month, H&J Hospitality began operation of the Emerson Park Pavilion and hosts approximately 90 events each year at this facility.
In 2017 H&J Hospitality added a new property to their collection of event locations, The Lansing Events Center. This property will house the H&J Hospitality corporate offices and will be one of Ithaca’s premier outdoor event facilities. After extensive renovations, this property will begin hosting events in the spring of 2018.
Over the years, H&J Hospitality has established relationships with many local venues that host events and have catered at almost every facility in the Ithaca area that allows outside events and catering.
Our Company Philosophy:
• Full service caterer that has the flexibility to meet the needs of virtually every customer
• We make every customer feel special and unique regardless of the occasion or event
• We are a one stop shop caterer that can coordinate every aspect of your event
• Experience and capability to handle multiple large-scale events simultaneously
• Our systems and standards allow us to provide impeccable execution of every event
H&J Hospitality is always pursuing new opportunities in the event and catering sector. If you know of any opportunities, need a great caterer or have a need for top food and beverage professionals please contact us.