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Since opening last April, The Edgewood on the Green has hosted weddings, Sweet 16 parties, bridal showers and corporate events.
The events space and catering hall next to Heartland Golf Park in Brentwood has taken on a new life under Marcella and Michael Marra, twins who grew up in Farmingdale.
The venue had been closed since November 2020, when Bella Verde — a popular catering hall that was a longtime fixture alongside the nine-hole course — shuttered as a result of the pandemic.
“I was familiar with the place, but from years ago,” said Michael Marra, who, since 2017, has owned Unique Social Events, a planner of pop-up events such as “themed dining experiences,” charity pub crawls and holiday festivals. “Once we stumbled upon it, we fell in love with it.”
The siblings had initially sought to partner with existing restaurants to host events. But Marcella Marra, whose background is in accounting and finance, then sold her brother on the idea of doing that in their own space.
“Since we’re twins, we share the same brain, we share the same vision,” Michael Marra said. “So it works out.”
Nearly a year into the new venture, they are working to fill The Edgewood on the Green’s calendar with private events that offer custom menus, a process that Michael Marra concedes was “nerve-racking” at first.
“Now, we have a lot more people coming through the doors and getting our name out there,” he said. “We’re very optimistic about the types of events we can host here.”
Marra credits that optimism, in part, to some insights on potential customers from a partner in the events-planning business.
“Long Island is a good market,” he said. “Every year, a new group of kids are getting their first communion or confirmation celebrations and every year, there are new couples getting married.”
And for all the negatives that accompanied a pandemic that knocked out so many small businesses, Marra said he and his sister found a positive through the new venture.
“If COVID didn’t happen, we probably wouldn’t be in the industry or have this venue,” he said. “It kinda fell in our lap, but we’re good with that.”
Top: Inside of the newly opened Edgewood on the Green in Brentwood. (Credit: Instagram)
