elite | studio e

Eric opened elite | studio e with 20+ years’ experience in the foodservice industry. Initially starting his career with a traditional equipment and supply dealership as a sales representative, he was fortunate to find his niche early on in the world of corporate and institutional dining. 

As Eric developed his contacts and became increasingly entrusted by his clients to take on complex matters, he found himself becoming highly regarded as the“go to” person for cafeteria renovations in the New York metropolitan area.

On January 1, 2000, Eric opened Elite Foodservice Equipment Co., Inc. on the premise that his clientele represented the “Elite” segment of the foodservice industry. The company name was created to pay homage to this prestigious sector. 

As the young company with three initial employees began to grow, the market seemed to be yearning for a source for innovative, new millennium ideas and concepts. Recognizing this, Eric formed Studio e Design Group in 2006. Clients now had two services to come to the company for: traditional dealer services and functions such as supplying foodservice equipment and supplies under the Elite name; and full-fledged design and consulting services through Studio e.

As both divisions flourished independently, the market now seemed to desire a single source solution for many project needs. In 2012, the notion of “design/build” was beginning to show its face. The company had reached its pinnacle and full understanding of purpose to the industry, and decided to blend both divisions into a single name … “elite | studio e”.  Regardless of what clients needed there would be no confusion as to who they were calling. No matter what service they wanted, experts on all teams would be available to consult and assist.

Today, elite | studio e has truly become the millennial choice for design concepts, marketing and branding strategies, existing facility renovations and new building outfitting. Our team utilizes the latest software and state-of-the-art technology, including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D S Max, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, just to name a few.

Our current staff of 40+ team members are smart, ambitious, creative and eager
to serve the needs of our clients regardless of how simple or complex the matter may be. In addition, in this busy world of needing things yesterday, they do not question whether something can be done to meet a deadline, they simply say “it
will be done”!

In 2015, a Mid-West regional office was opened in Kansas City, MO, to keep up with the needs arising in this part of the country. In addition, the company acquired an additional 2,500 square feet of space (on top of its current 6,000 SF) and completely renovated its New York headquarters in the spirit of the new millennial work/live/play office environment.

Besides running the company, Eric continues to lead the business development team, which now covers the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. He serves on a number of industry and civic committees and has written several articles for New York Food Review magazine.

Having been a part ofelite | studio e since its inception, Ivan is involvedand experienced in every aspect of our company — design, project management, account executive and as a principal. Ivan has learned to understand our industry from the foodservice management perspective, including operational knowledge,flow expertise and revenue generation for our clients.
He has also had projects written up in Food Equipment Reports and authored articles for the Society of Hospitality and Food Management publications.