| About Us
Chef Richard Halka and Wife Evelyn purchased the State Street Grille November 1st of 2004. Richard has been an Executive Chef for the last 10 years, and worked in kitchens since the age of 15. A native Long Islander, he got his start making garlic bread at Casa Felicia's Northport restaurant. Richard attended SUNY Binghamton as a political science major; cooking at restaurants all the while, after graduation he worked a Wall Street job for a short time and realized he needed to be cooking. That was where hobby and passion turned career. Richard then traveled and worked in various restaurants in Colorado, Vermont, and New York. At the age of 26 he landed a line cook job at the Preferred Hotel The Garden City Hotel. This position was an education for Richard. He worked his way up a classical French kitchen and was finally awarded his own restaurant in the Hotel, the Market Sea Grill.
Evelyn is from Schuylerville, NY, a sleepy town right outside of Saratoga Springs. Evelyn Attended SUNY Plattsburg as a Restaurant Management Major, and began to hostess and waitress part time. Evelyn then moved to Long Island and began working at the Garden City Hotel. incidentally it is also where Evelyn & Richard met.
The couple then moved to The East End of Long Island and settled in East Hampton for the past ten years. Richard got a job at Partners Drew Nieporent & Gerry Della Femina's new restaurant, The East Hampton Point Restaurant, Working under Chef Gerard Hayden. Hayden was a huge source of information and training. Hayden was the pastry and sous chef to Charlie Palmer at Aureole in New York City. He also worked in The Park Avenue Café with David Burke, and The Tri Becca Grill with Don Pitabona. Working with Hayden and staff was where Richard really honed his creative skills. The expertise surrounding him was a true inspiration. After Gerry Moved on to open Maquary Grill in NY, Richard was offered the Executive Chef Position.
Evelyn worked at Mirko's Restaurant in the Hampton's. A quaint, acclaimed, Chef and wife owned restaurant known for it consistently great Chef prepared menu and it's attentive, but unpretentious professional service. Evelyn loved working with couple Eileen and Mirko Zagar and became a head waitress and assisted Eileen with wait staff training.
In 2000 Kaitlyn Halka became another one of the couple's dreams realized and a new priority. It was having their daughter that prompted the couple to find a nice place to live and raise a family and realize their dream. After that it has been a search to find the place to call their own, The State Street Grille.
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