Shuttered Chateau Briand catering hall to auction everything in October

A former Carle Place catering hall is auctioning off thousands of items, including dinnerware, fine china, kitchen equipment, dining room décor and patio furniture.

Scotto Brothers’ former venture Chateau Briand Caterers closed last year after hosting weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, baby showers, anniversaries and dinner parties for 44 years.

Auctioneers with the Long Island-based Americans Auctions Liquidations Appraisals Inc. announced the Oct. 2 auction to sell everything down to the studs from the 16,000-square-foot catering hall, including the elevators.

“This venue has served thousands of Long Islanders and out-of-towners during various celebrations,” said Gerard Trimboli, president of the auction company. “The Scotto Brothers have been inundated with calls from people who had weddings and bar mitzvahs and anniversaries, and they figured people really want to be involved with these items.”

Following the auction, the former catering hall will be demolished, auctioneers said. Trimboli said thousands of items would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Some small kitchen utensils will be sold starting at $1 and larger items could potentially sell for tens of thousands of dollars, he said.

Among items up for sale are a baby grand piano, chandeliers, flat-panel TVs, large area rugs, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, kitchen stoves, refrigerators and barware.

The auction includes furniture and equipment from the Body English tropical-themed outdoor nightclub, such as patio furniture, gas fire pits and a free-standing waterfall. The nightclub ended a 14-year run in July.

Interested buyers can peruse items for sale at the catering hall at 440 Old Country Rd. for free Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon. The auction will follow, where auctioneers expect to sell about 100 items per hour for four to five hours. Bought items can be retrieved through the rest of that week, Trimboli said.

Owners of the catering hall shuttered it at the end of last year, citing economic reasons, and laid off 112 employees. The company received two PPP loans for $1.8 million as part of $21.8 million in pandemic aid received by Scotto Brothers companies.

The family also operates Fox Hollow of Woodbury and several restaurants run by Anthony Scotto, including Insignia in Smithtown, Rare650 in Syosset, Opus Steakhouse in Jericho and Bijou, One10 and Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville.

Representatives for the Scotto Brothers company could not immediately be reached for comment. 

An inventory and photos of everything for sale is available on the auction house website, Aalainc.com.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.