About our staff
The Catering Management Team at Il Fornaio is comprised of experienced catering sales and banquet operations staff who are committed to bringing restaurant-quality food, beverage, and hospitality to all of our events.
Our authentic Italian menus and dedication to staff training and event ambience will create the experience that your guests will always remember.
Ted Laymon, Managing Partner
With 21 years of Catering experience including positions with the Fairmont Hotel, and ARAMARK, his background brings fine-dining, hotel catering, large volume off-site catering, Sporting Arenas and large Convention Center catering experiences.
Over the past 20+ years, Ted has catered and executed Black-Tie formal events for Heads-of-State, events for the US Olympics, PGA Golf, World Cup Soccer, a 4,000 person seated dinner for a top Silicon Valley corporation, over 1,000 weddings, a 20,000 person BBQ, and coordinated hundreds of conventions, business meetings, bar mitzvahs, and social events throughout California, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona. Ted's goal is to provide all of our catering guests and events with the same dining experience you would receive sitting inside any of our restaurants and to tailor the event, no matter the size, to the client's exact needs.
Sergio Lopez,
Associate Director of Catering
Sergio joined the hospitality industry about 18 years ago. After graduating from college, Sergio came to California, where he started working at the Santa Clara Convention Center, developing his skills in dining service, bar service, and event management for groups ranging from 20 to 10,000 guests. Moving to Il Fornaio as the Banquet Manager at the Hotel Sainte Claire in San Jose and then being promoted to Associate Director of Catering, Sergio has led the Operations and front-of-house staff at Il Fornaio Catering for the last 10 years. Drawing on his 18 years of experience in the hospitality business and off-site catering, Sergio can produce events of any scope or size!
Dina Ardizzone, Senior Catering Sales Manager
Dina began her career in the Hospitality Industry in 1991 with the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose .She joined the grand re-opening team for the Sainte Claire Hotel, in Downtown San Jose, after the hotel was unoccupied for four years. Over the years, Dina was promoted to Director of Group Sales selling hotel conference and food and beverage packages. After working with the Hilton corporation for two years, Dina has moved to Il Fornaio Cateing as the Senior Catering Sales Manager, specializing in our off-site catering sales. With 17 years of direct group sales experience, Dina remains as excited now as ever to get to meet people each day and assist them on planning either a special day for themselves and family or, an important VIP event for an organization.
Raul Hernandez, Banquet Manager
After several years working at different hotels and country clubs in the Bay Area as a bartender, bar supervisor and headwaiter, Raul started with Il Fornaio at the San Jose location at the Hotel Sainte Claire in 1992. When Il Fornaio opened a banquet facility in Sausalito, CA, Raul was promoted to the Assistant Banquet Manager then promoted to Banquet Manager. Returning to San Jose as the Banquet Manager for both the on-site and off-site catering operations in the Bay Area, Raul brings the highest levels of service, professionalism and guest satisfaction for each and every one of our events.
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