“We have one chance to get it right,” says DeMaiolo. “It’s not like they’ll be back next week and we can redeem ourselves from a so-so experience.”

DeMaiolo knows about the big-time pressure of weddings. Pier Sixty and The Lighthouse are exclusive locations under the renowned Abigail Kirsch catering umbrella. Pier Sixty is also Manhattan’s largest waterfront venue with 20,000 square feet of space. While Abigail Kirsch provides creative catering and event management for all kinds of social and corporate events and galas, the company has developed wedding catering into an art form and is recognized for setting the wedding standard.

A Vow to Wow
To hit a home run for each and every wedding, DeMaiolo focuses on organization, staff training and timing—the components of quality. Early on, DeMaiolo works with the company’s event managers to understand each client’s expectations. “In the menu-design process, we sit down to understand the couple’s likes and dislikes,” he says. “We also need to consider what is appropriate for all of the guests.”

DeMaiolo reviews the menu for necessary edits. “I look for repetitiveness,” he says. “You can’t serve tomatoes and mushrooms on every dish.” He checks that the menu flows properly and determines the number of steps each plate requires and how fast it can be made. The timing for each dish must be realistic.

Wedding preparation begins one to two days prior to the big day. “We do prep such as butchering, cleaning vegetables and making sauces,” DeMaiolo says. “We make the breads and desserts in-house, too. At the event, we generally have four kitchen staff plus a lead chef.” Due to reliable and well-trained staff, DeMaiolo doesn’t attend every event, and while he can put in 60 to 70 hours per week, he is able to arrange many weekends off. This weekend option helps create a balanced home life, something with which restaurant chefs often struggle.

What’s New?
Some couples request that their guests celebrate their special day with a zip-line ride. Others instruct friends and family to don a favorite superhero costume and partake in a superhuman-themed banquet. But DeMaiolo says that the average wedding reception is still fairly traditional, serving 150 to 200 people (some as many as 500) in a four-hour period, which includes a cocktail hour and four-course dinner. (And by the way, vegan and vegetarian weddings are not considered out of the ordinary.)

“Menu trends follow the restaurants,” says DeMaiolo. “If a dish is popular in restaurants, such as seafood tacos with lobster or tuna, everybody jumps on the bandwagon.” The challenges arise when the bride and groom want to offer a menu item from their favorite eatery and that dish happens to consist of six to eight components. “This may be great when you are serving two people at a time in a restaurant,” he says, “but not when you are serving 400.” DeMaiolo will need to develop the request—altering a cooking technique or an ingredient—into a dish that can be executed and served to many people at the same time and served at the proper temperature. Timing is key. If the timing falters, the entire wedding schedule can be disrupted, which will make an unhappy bride and a not-so-good memory.

Today, sustainability and local, seasonal ingredients are on the minds of many restaurant chefs and their patrons. Abigail Kirsch venues offer a variety of menus including a complete local and seasonal menu. Couples may choose starters like a ramp, fiddlehead fern, asparagus and pea salad.

Since most menus are customized, DeMaiolo tries to incorporate sustainable products wherever he can. “Things like local corn, tomatoes and fish are easily available to us,” he says. Committed to quality ingredients and consistency for every menu, DeMaiolo seeks out reputable purveyors who can handle the volume. “Restaurants can use products from small farmers where costs are higher, but if we order organic microgreens for 600 people day after day, the small farmer may not be able to provide it.”

Surprisingly, special dietary requests have become a big consideration when developing a wedding menu. “We are seeing more people with food allergies,” DeMaiolo says. “I don’t want the guest who has a dietary need or food allergy to sit in the corner with a big red dot on his forehead while other guests are enjoying a lavish meal. If two people need a raw diet, we provide them a four-course menu too.” These are the extra efforts that help to exceed expectations. And DeMaiolo knows the guest you please might become a future client.

Learning at the Top
To ensure organization and consistent quality, training is paramount. “Training is expensive and time-consuming,” DeMaiolo says, “but it’s vital. I consider myself a mentor.” DeMaiolo emphasizes that to create a good atmosphere, staff morale is also important. “Business is the bottom line, but it’s personal, too. I let my staff know what the business needs are and I listen to them when they need something from me like a specific day off. With 500 functions per year, you see your co-workers more than your family. They become family, and they know I’m there for them.”

Two times per year, DeMaiolo coordinates training sessions based on staff requests such as whole pig butchery or chocolate and homemade-cheese workshops. “I believe ongoing education is important for everybody,” he says.

DeMaiolo practices what he preaches. With an impressive résumé, he has worked in several renowned kitchens and has owned a restaurant. Still, he looks to learn. He gains knowledge from everyone around him—whether a staff member who has worked in another kitchen and can show him something new or one of the many celebrity chefs who guest chef at high-profile fundraising events held at Pier Sixty and The Lighthouse. At 51, DeMaiolo has even returned to school to complete his B.A. in hospitality management.

With more than 30 years in the business, DeMaiolo loves his work and thrives under the pressure of making each event memorable. “If I had to do it all again, I would,” he says. Now, how many people can say that?

Lynn Schwartz, a former New York City restaurateur, is a writer based in Maryland.