Nassau restaurateur eyes East End catering

Steve Carl is going to be crashing the party scene in the Hamptons this summer, in a business way at least. But East End business people say the veteran Nassau County restaurateur better be ready for some stiff competition for his new catering company.

Carl, owner of Carlyle on the Green at Bethpage State Park, has started a company he calls Carlyle off the Green. Carl said he will serve not only the Hamptons but also those who throw parties atop exclusive Manhattan high-rises.

"We're getting lots of calls from people to do Hamptons parties and Manhattan parties," said Carl. Since he put out the word a few weeks ago about his East End-Big Apple catering business, Carl said he already has 25 bookings for the summer season. "We've got some heavy hitters for the summer," he said, declining to name any out of respect for their privacy.

Carl said his Carlyle off the Green will not only provide the food, but the big tents that are so popular for parties on the East End. He also has hired Laura Wootton, former director of sales at Elegant Affairs, a Glen Cove caterer, to be executive director of Carlyle off the Green.

"Our vision is to do very sophisticated Hamptons cocktail parties," said Wootton. Even the rich are, at times, feeling the weak economy these days, and so parties will be "budgeted according to peoples' needs," Wootton said.

The reaction? "Good Lord, this place is already crawling with caterers," said Steve Haweeli, founder and president of East Hampton-based WordHampton Public Relations, which represents East End restaurants. One of them, The Art of Eating in Amagansett, has been in business for more than 20 years, said John Kowalenko, co-owner with his wife, Cheryl. "It's such a competitive market," John Kowalenko said. "Everyone thinks there's a tremendous amount of money to be made. But the margins are very slim, it's a short season, and the weather is a factor."

Carl says he's ready. "We expect this to be huge," he said of his new business.