Amanda Pilar Smith is the owner and operator of Amanda Smith Caterers, a catering and event planning company established in 2002.
Originally from Mexico, Amanda is a graduate of Cornell University’s Hotel and Restaurant School, where she also received a Masters in Agriculture Economics.
Amanda honed her skills in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Africa before moving back to her native Mexico to work for the multi-national company Del Monte Fresh Produce. There she traveled from coast to coast on the hunt for quality produce to export to the United States, Europe, and Japan.
In 1996, she moved to Paris where she researched and wrote a book about the open-air food markets and their impact on the city’s culture. The book, Paris in a Basket (Könemann, 2000), is fully illustrated with more than 70 recipes and 400 photographs by Amanda and co-author Nicolle Meyer.
Amanda’s trademark is her commitment to using fresh ingredients and preparing them in a simple, yet sophisticated manner. This is the essence of her latest endeavor, Amanda Smith Caterers. Here, Amanda together with chef Domingo Garza, has set out to capture the flavors of New York with the spirit of her native Mexico.

Domingo Garza, the executive chef of Amanda Smith Caterers, is from Tampico, Mexico. He is a graduate of Instituto Culinario de Mexico (ICUM) of Puebla. Before working with Amanda, Domingo worked with Frungillio's Catering and Event Design in North Eastern New Jersey as Chef de Cuisine doing functions for events for more than 1,000 guests. He was also the Banquet Chef Supervisor at IBM's Executive Conference Center in Palisades, New York and was in charge of the kitchens, its staff, and and executing the multiple functions held daily.
Domingo's passion is combining traditional based techniques with innovative ingredients in his cuisine. He strives to bring harmony between exquisite food and the ambiance of the entire function. Domingo's eye for details extends outside of the kitchen in his masterful displays and flower arrangements with the intent to create overall satisfaction.
 

Madalene Benoist d’Etiveaud has recently partnered with Amanda Smith Caterers to expand their catering and event planning services to Greenwich, CT and lower Fairfield County.
Originally from Westchester New York, Madalene is a Graduate from Columbia University with a BA in Sociology. She worked and traveled around the world aboard a German Frers yacht as crew and hostess before settling into the Greenwich community where she had lived for the past 20 years raising her family, chairing fundraisers and hosting events. While Greenwich is Madalene’s home base, she has lived abroad for pockets of time throughout her life. In particular New Zealand, where her second daughter was born, and in the Northern region of Normandy, France.
Her international exposure and immersion into various cultural communities over the past 21 years is the basis through which Madalene is able to fully appreciate and execute her clients’ particular cultural vision when creating an event. Her aspiration is to provide an exquisite event for the client while bestowing an experience guests will forever remember.