About Us
“Anybody can cook rice and beans – what I try to do is I try to invent something that’s never been done before.”
Chef Ricardo Cardona
Chef Ricardo Cardona is a self-trained, award-winning chef with over twenty years of experience specializing in American, French, and Latin cuisines. His culinary journey began in some of the nation’s most respected kitchens, where he developed a strong classical foundation that continues to define his work today. Over time, Chef Cardona matured into running his own successful catering and consulting company, Cardona Catering, while advising and elevating hospitality start-ups across the tri-state area.
Early in his career, Chef Cardona refined his skills with globally recognized brands such as Disneyland and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, experiences that instilled in him a deep respect for discipline, consistency, and guest experience.
Through his career, Chef Cardona has collaborated with top event planners such as Preston Bailey, expanding his reach into high-profile events and luxury experiences. His cuisine has delighted an impressive list of notable guests, including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Marc Anthony, Sofía Vergara, Al Pacino, Ricky Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, Roselyn Sánchez, Dayanara Torres, Romeo Santos, and the legendary Rita Moreno. He has also cooked for professional sports organizations including the New York Yankees, New York Knicks, and New York Giants, both in stadium settings and private engagements.
A James Beard Foundation Award winner (2006), Chef Cardona has been honored as a guest chef for Le Cordon Bleu and Cipriani, and has shared his expertise on national television. His appearances include “Chopped,” “Mission Menu” (TLC International / NuVo TV), Good Morning America, Despierta América, FOX, WPIX 11, and OWN, among others.
Driven by passion, precision, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, Chef Cardona thrives on the challenges of the kitchen and the joy of creating memorable moments through food. His work continues to blend tradition with innovation, offering guests a modern, soulful interpretation of classic cuisines—whether in a restaurant, private event, or consulting engagement.
Richie Cardona Jr.
Hospitality Operations & Consulting Director
Richie Cardona Jr. is a hospitality operations executive and consultant with over 12 years of experience leading restaurants, venues, hotels, and large-scale events across New York and beyond. His expertise lies in bridging front-of-house and back-of-house operations to create scalable systems, strong teams, and consistently profitable service environments.
Richie has held senior leadership roles including Managing Partner & COO, Director of Operations, Director of Food & Beverage, and Venue Operations Manager. He has overseen everything from staffing and training to budgeting, payroll, vendor management, guest experience strategy, and compliance. Known for his hands-on leadership style,
Richie specializes in fixing broken systems, launching new concepts, and optimizing existing operations without sacrificing service quality.
Working alongside Chef Ricardo Cardona, Richie brings the operational and administrative backbone that allows culinary vision to perform at the highest level. Together, they provide clients with a rare full-spectrum consulting approach—covering food, service, systems, and execution.
Richie Cardona has worked with, Youtube, Etsy, WeWork, Porsche, Eater, HBO, Amazon just to name a few.
