Most young men in college don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how stressful it can be to prepare meals for Shabbat, especially when there aren’t many kosher food sources nearby. Adam Nayowitz, a Rutgers University student from Teaneck, heard from his friend Benjamin Rose, a YU student from Woodmere, how difficult it was for his family to prepare for Shabbat when they had spent summers at their home in Riverhead, near the Hamptons.
The Hamptons attract many Jewish families but there are few kosher food options. So the enterprising students put their heads together and came up with an idea for a business. They met with several restaurants and stores on Long Island, and started a summer delivery service to the Hamptons exclusively for Shabbat. You could go to their website, choose from a wide variety of items at participating places, and pay the flat delivery fee. Order by Wednesday night and on Friday the food would be on its way to your vacation home. More time relaxing with your family, less time stressing over Shabbat preparation.
Hamptons Kosher Delivery was a great success. The partners realized there was a need for their service anywhere people make Shabbat and want to spend less time shopping, schlepping and cooking. The business quickly expanded to the five boroughs of New York (Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island), Westchester County (Scarsdale, New Rochelle and White Plains) and Great Neck. West Hempstead and the Five Towns were added this week. New Jersey will be next, in the near future.
Now called My Kosher Delivery, one website includes all locations and menus. In the beginning, Nayowitz and Rose made deliveries themselves. Now their drivers head out early Friday morning, with food packed and sent in very cold conditions to stay fresh. They make all deliveries with plenty of time for food to be organized and heated, if necessary, before Shabbat begins.
My Kosher Delivery streamlines the process of getting Shabbat food for groups as well as families. Friends are getting together to send Shabbat meals to a mom with a newborn or to a shiva house. Shuls have been ordering for kiddush.
The beauty of My Kosher Delivery is that you can choose items from several places in a single order. It’s one-stop Shabbat shopping for everything—wine, sushi, baked goods, Shabbat mains, seudah shlishit and more. Current participating vendors include popular Long Island vendors Five Fifty, Stop Chop & Roll, Bagel Boys, Alan’s Bakery, Graze Smokehouse, The Cheese Store, Ruthie’s Place, Spruce D’Vine and Oh! Nuts. The list will continue to expand.
Visit www.mykosherdelivery.com for locations served, to browse menus and to place an order.
By Bracha Schwartz
