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meet the team
behind the scenes with takk house
Heidi Benjamin
owner & ceo of takk house
Heidi has worked in the wedding industry for the last fifteen years. She got her start documenting love as a wedding photographer. Her passion for photography, art and connecting with people manifested into Takk House. Opening in 2014 after many years of witnessing love in magical spaces far and near.
I was a photographer of people for 10+ years with my major focus being weddings. Prior to that I was a photographer of everything. I started in a darkroom and never looked back. I have been featured in blogs, magazines, books, and even won some awards. Heidi retired from the photography game a few years ago outside of documenting her own life purely for pleasure. She decided to lean in and focus all her energy into hosting weddings in 2019.
Takk House is owned and operated by Heidi with the help of her amazing team. Caring for an historic building is no easy feat but Heidi knows giving the weathered walls new life has been an adventure of a lifetime. Heidi is passionate about educating visitors in the history of Takk House, highlighting it’s rare and beautiful architecture, and the many transitions it has been through over the years.
10 fun facts
get to know heidi in
Our Team
Andrea
Julie
lead Designer & Event Manager
lead planner & coordinator
Julie is a designer with a BA in Interior Design from Michigan State University. She has worked at Ethan Allen, as well as two prominent floral and event design companies in Michigan. Additionally, she has over 15 years of experience working in restaurant hospitality. For Julie, good design is when beauty, function, and personal style all come together. She is excited to bring your aesthetic and design visions to reality, to create the event of your dreams!
Andrea is a certified wedding and event planner that has been a part of the Takk House team since 2018. Prior to working at Takk House, she worked with a planning and coordination team that served locations throughout New York State and Vermont. If you ask the team, she would be considered “the small but mighty with the game plan.” Andrea will ensure that your planning process is stress-free and you can enjoy your wedding day.
Jess
Hayley
Assistant Planner & Coordinator
Hayley is an assistant planner/coordinator that joined Takk House in early 2022. She graduated from U Albany with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a combined concentration in marketing and management. Hayley has a background in hospitality and is eagerly learning the ropes of the event/wedding industry. She is always excited to help our weddings and events run as smoothly as possible.
Jess is our event producer and design assistant. She fell in love with Takk House as soon as she first set foot in the building back in 2016. She sets up for weddings, events, and pop-ups, maintains and organizes our inventory, and keeps our many indoor and outdoor plants happy. Jess has an AA in Visual Arts, a BA in English, and over a decade of retail/visual merchandising experience.
Chef Matt
Chef Chris
head chef - takk house & meadowlark catering
chef - takk house & meadowlark catering
Chris truly enjoys creating a unique menu for each client’s event and cooking for their friends and family. Always a rewarding journey, he looks forward to connecting with more people through food. Chef Chris began his restaurant career, as a food runner and dish pit warrior, about 14 years ago. Over the past many years, he has worked at an assortment of pubs, dives and lunch & dinner spots throughout Upstate NY. Some notable locations include, the former Finnbar’s Pub (now McAddy’s), Slidin’ Dirty, and The Shop (R.I.P.), where he worked his way up to sous chef. Currently, Chris is co-owner of Wizard Burger in Albany, Burrito Burrito in Downtown Troy, and Meadowlark Catering, where he shares the role of head chef. Chris truly enjoys creating a unique menu for each client’s event and cooking for their friends and family. Always a rewarding journey, he looks forward to connecting with more people through food.
Chef Matt Olley got his start at an assisted living home on Long Island for his externship. From there Matt cut his teeth in multiple kitchens in NYC, and assisting food stylists for magazines & TV. With impeccable timing Matt created The Little Viking Co in the beginning of 2020. As the world figured itself out, so did Little Viking, eventually bringing the concept up north to the Capital Region, TLV adapted to its new surroundings, and serendipitously met the crew from Meadowlark. The rest is history.
