Our Team
Charlie Schaffer
Owner
Following graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, Charlie worked closely with Alain Ducasse, Pedro Subijana and Lidia Bastianich before serving as Executive Chef for the Patina Group.
"My classical training cooking in the world's most sought after restaurants taught me that memorable experiences are more than perfect food. Great events are a blend of aesthetics with inspiration and culture with style."
Kathleen Schaffer
Owner & Creative Director
Kathleen grew her career as an executive chef throughout the world and has been recognized for her culinary accomplishments by the James Beard House, AAA Five Diamond and Chef George Perrier of Le Bec Fin.
"As Creative Director, my brain is in perpetual motion. Whether it's recipe creation or design innovation, I bring an innate passion to everything I do, and every client we work with. Seeing the vision come to life, is truly the greatest reward."
Henry Jimenez
Vice President
Henry has over 15 years with experiential events within the hospitality industry. He is an accomplished strategist and expert at devising and implementing tactical business development and growth plans.
He is people-centric, with an eye and palate to recognize culinary brilliance, and prides himself on driving operational efficiencies and excellence.
"Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don't have." - Anthony Bourdain
Melissa Darpino
Director of Sales
Melissa’s two decades in event catering have included positions with revered chefs Michel Richard, Joachim Splichal, David Myers and Tommy Tang. With over 3,000 events under her belt - including film premiers, awards shows and galas - she finds joy in creating unique food experiences within challenging logistics.
“I am inspired daily by the abundance of seasonal local produce, and the diverse food cultures that surround us in Los Angeles.”
Bill Coyne
Business Development
Bill brings 15+ years of creating successful hospitality experiences in New York City to Los Angeles and the Schaffer team. He ran a major off-premise catering division, led successful sales and marketing campaigns, created operational procedures and trained personnel to execute every event flawlessly. Bill is also an accomplished actor and an honors graduate of NYU.
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.” -George Bernard Shaw
Alexander “Lex” Heijligers
Executive Chef
Classically trained, European chef Alexander Heijligers “Lex” comes from the oldest city in Holland - Dordrecht. He began his formal culinary education at the age of 12, commuting daily to Rotterdam. With over 35 years in the field and 20 as Executive Chef, leading the finest catering companies, he is committed to safety, excellence, leadership and taste. He is proud to be an American citizen, devoted family man and mentor.
“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave‘em all over everything you do.” - Elvis Presley
Jim Weitzman
Director of Events
Jim is a native Angeleno and a graduate of Cornell University’s prestigious School of Hotel Administration. Jim has worked in DC, Boston, New York City where he ran a celebrated event company. Jim returned to the City of Angels in 2014 as Director of Operations for Serve’s You Right Catering.
“Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake.”- Julia Child
Erika Ambriz
HR and Finance
After obtaining her degree from the University of Pittsburgh and some globetrotting, Erika returned to her hometown, Los Angeles, where she landed at a boutique-style catering and event planning company. She spent 15 years as an integral role in bringing Serves You Right from a start up to a multimillion-dollar enterprise. She finds joy in reconciling, and in her downtime, she loves to organize, host and has been known to have a green thumb.
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” - Mae West.
Lito Morin
Executive Pastry Chef
Lito has been creating sweet offerings for fine dining venues, bakeries, hotels, and catering companies for 20+ years. He has developed menus for various concepts and implemented them by developing the teams and training them to execute his pastry visions. He enjoys staying fit, and can’t imagine starting his day without a daily meditation.
“If you are truly passionate about your career choice…work becomes play”
Seth Gorelik
Staffing Manager
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, Seth began his career baking for Huckleberry in Santa Monica. Following his pastry career, he worked in event coordination and restaurant management. Seth has been an integral part of Schaffer since the beginning and has worn many hats. His current position as Staffing Manager guides our excellent service team.
"Our seamless operations means that we take all of the stress and guesswork out of the equation and let you enjoy what's important."
Jose Diaz
Sous Chef
Born and raised in Puerto Rico. Jose has over 10 years of experience in fine-dining restaurants and hotels. He is passionate about the flavors that complement the dining experience. He enjoys seeing his team develop and grow into culinary superheroes.
“A Chef is a mixture of artistry and craft. You have to learn the craft to really get to artistry.”
Nina Furukawa
Event Coordinator
Nina’s background in award-winning fine dining, destination management, and marketing makes her a natural in her event production role. She loves food and wine and thrives in helping clients create meaningful events. She is a committed athlete and fundraiser for The Santa Monica Education Foundation.
“One of my greatest joys is learning about and sharing food and wine. Many of my favorite moments happen at a dining table.”
Estuardo Allinado
Sous Chef
Estuardo’s passion for gastronomy began in 2002. As he was climbing the culinary ropes, he had the opportunity to cook for some of the most high-profile and discerning personalities around Los Angeles. He has always treated his cooking as an expression of art, which combined with his culinary talents makes his food a masterful combination of flavors and visual presentation.
“Cooking with love feeds your soul.”
Janet Russell
Account Manager
Janet comes to Schaffer with 20 years of hospitality and event experience ranging from working in venues & catering, to production companies & stage management. When Janet has free time, she loves to hike and enjoy the outdoors of Southern California.
"People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
Lisa Krampota
Event Coordinator
Lisa started her catering career over 12 years ago. She loves bringing joy to others through food and service. When not working on an event, Lisa will most likely be at an archery range or horseback riding with friends.
“There’s nothing like helping make someone’s special day more special!”
We are the proud winners of the
International Caterers Association 2019
Caterer of the year award
our story
Schaffer is your partner in creating premium event experiences. Our focus is to bring your vision to life through incomparable food, service and design.
With over 20 years of event hospitality experience serving Los Angeles and beyond, we pride ourselves on our professionalism that borders on perfectionism, our quality that surpasses expectation and the lasting relationships we form through doing what we love.
