Maestro’s at the Van Dam restaurant on
Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs
closed in November, but its owner is opening
a restaurant in the spring at the McGregor
Links Country Club.
Maestro’s At McGregor has retained the
services of chef Mike Pietrocola who will
take over the helm at the new location,
scheduled to open in late March, according
to owner Bill Donovan.
Pietrocola has been executive chef at the
Mohawk Golf Club in Schenectady. He will
be chef and director of food and beverage
services at Maestro’s.
“When we closed Maestro’s, we did not expect
to reopen,” said Donovan. “The Adelphi
Group was not interested in the Maestro’s
brand, so we maintained ownership of the
name and all branded items, including things
such as signs, menu covers, the website, and
the Facebook page. We thought someone in
a start-up situation might be interested in
purchasing the brand.”
Donovan, along with business partner
Nick Adie, owns both Maestro's and Harvey's
Restaurant & Bar on Phila Street, Saratoga
Springs. Together with chef Danny Petrosino,
they started Symphony Catering some 15
months ago.
"In addition to the fact that we received
an offer we simply couldn't refuse, we felt
the sale of the restaurant would allow us to
focus our energies on the Symphony Catering
operation. The intense growth we had
experienced placed a significant strain on
the restaurant, which shared its kitchens
with Symphony. We knew our catering business
had tremendous potential, and it was
clear we would need to relocate Symphony to
meet future demands," said Donovan.
While looking for a new location, the opportunity
to house Symphony's operation
at the McGregor Country Club in Wilton
surfaced. One condition the owners of Mc-
Gregor stipulated was that Symphony would
also have to service their dining room, which
had previously been run by other restaurants
in the area.
Donovan said basing Symphony Catering
at the venue "will give us a considerable
advantage because it will allow us to develop
and grow the number of weddings and
events held on the grounds."
According to Donovan, Pietrocola will
oversee Maestro's as well as any Symphony
events held at the McGregor Country Club,
while Symphony partner and executive chef
Danny Petrosino will manage all events held
at alternative venues. Symphony has caterered
for many venues in the area including
the Canfield Casino, Saratoga City Center
and the Saratoga Auto Museum.
Pietrocola has extensive experience in
managing and operating restaurants and
catering services. He has been at Mohawk
since 2008. Before that he owned and operated
Park 54 in Clifton Park and was chef
at The Clare restaurant in Schenectady, the
name of which was changed to Pietrocola's
after he became sole owner.
"While I enjoyed my time at Mohawk, I
am looking forward to once again being able
to serve the general public," Pietrocola said.
Mohawk is a private club, while McGregor is
semi-private and its clubhouse restaurant is
open to the public.
"I appreciate and honor club members and
will ensure they receive every courtesy from
the Maestro's staff, as is their due. I am also
excited to once again experience the energy
and challenges that come from a constant
flow of new guests to a restaurant," he said.
He noted many of the more popular dishes
at the former Maestro's will be on the new
menu. "However, the new restaurant will
have a more casual feel than the Broadway
location and that will be reflected in the
dishes we will offer."
The clubhouse dining rooms will accommodate
130 guests, while there will be
outdoor seating for 148. The club's banquet
hall will accommodate up to 100 guests for
weddings and events.
Pietrocola will appropriately assume his
new position on Feb. 29.
"We are updating and expanding our
kitchens and refreshing the dining rooms,
bar, and public spaces. While I'm optimistic
there'll be interest from former employees at
the Broadway location, we'll be holding a job
fair on March 5 to fill both front-of-house
and back-of-house positions," he said.
The new Maestro's at McGregor will be
opened to members in late March and the
restaurant will be officially opened to the
public in late April.
Lunch and dinner will be served seven
days a week through September, after which
a seasonal schedule will take effect. Updates
regarding the opening and job fair will be
posted in the Maestro's portal on the company
website at www.donovan-adie.com.