Part I
By Cheri F. Rosen
Almost five decades ago, as both a newlywed and a recent ba’alat teshuvah, I dreaded grocery shopping almost more than anything. Even living in the heart of Midwood in Brooklyn, I basically had two choices when filling the pantry. I had Reichberg’s Market on Kings Highway or Waldbaum’s Supermarket on Avenue M. I often navigated Mr. Reichberg’s three overloaded narrow aisles while being directed, “Yes you can buy this, no, not that” following me the entire time. Alternatively I sometimes attempted searching the shelves of Waldbaum’s clenching a list of brand names of items copied down from my friends’ cabinets. Truly a nightmare!
Then suddenly, one day my shopping angst was transformed from nightmare to dream come true: a former Waldbaum’s closed and reopened as Kosher City in Canarsie and I was liberated and elated. Everything was kosher! I practically skipped down the aisles with a huge smile frozen on my face.
That feeling was duplicated last week as I entered KC Market in Boynton Beach on the evening of its grand opening. PT Barnum himself could not have elicited greater anticipation than Yossi Gopin unwittingly achieved due to unavoidable delays of more than a year. After months and months of eagerly awaiting its arrival, Palm Beach County’s mega kosher paradise finally became a reality.
To say the hordes of customers were excited would be a gross understatement. The doors were announced to open at 3:00 last Wednesday, and by 2:45, a line of three or four abreast stretched down the length of the shopping plaza’s walkway!
When I first interviewed Yossi in the fall of 2022, he emphasized that he believed the entire Palm Beach area north of Boca Raton was extremely underserved, and that’s what the Boynton Beach KC was designed to change. Yet even after a yearlong delay, he said he felt truly humbled by the population’s response to the opening. The praise and outpouring of gratitude and goodwill far exceeded his expectations.
I have overheard and witnessed on the community “chats” many compliments concerning the store’s employees as well. I asked Yossi about just that and he immediately assured me that it was absolutely a KC priority when hiring and maintaining staff.
Truly an oasis in the desert of Boynton Beach, Yossi is bringing the long-suffering communities of this area more than they could have possibly imagined. Many features are currently available, some others are still arriving daily, though a few will probably not come into play until after the summer. No worries, he had the entire community applauding the less than two-mile distance from any of Central Boynton’s developments. He had me at the make your own salad bar.
There’s an awful lot you can do with 40,000 square feet (that’s four times the amount of space in Hollywood—the flagship store—or in Hallandale) and it appears Mr. Gopin is endeavoring to do as much as humanly possible. As I begin to recount all that he has brought to us with all that is still coming, I definitely am feeling a bit of “Dayenu”!
Had he just given us the kosher staples that we previously drove 15 minutes to a half hour for, that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us amazing fresh well-priced produce (including all the hard-to-find vegetables needed for various kosher cuisine), that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us a fully stocked bakery resplendent with daily baked pastries, cakes, a variety of desserts, and artisanal breads, that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us an entire section of healthy vegetarian meals to go, (Fancy Plants) including the aforementioned make your own salad bar, as well as gluten-free products such as challahs, muffins, and entrees, that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us an entire fresh sushi station, including design your own rolls and poke bowls, that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us Shloimy’s famous chummus, tahina, eggplant, etc., that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us freshly made pizza pies on demand to eat in the store, bring home, or have delivered, that would have been enough for us.
Had he just given us a seating area in which there are presently more than a handful of tables and chairs for families to enjoy the myriad ready-to-eat options that I have barely begun to name, that would have been enough for us.
All the above listed boutique concessions are located on just the eastern wall of the marketplace, and I have not even finished with that side. Next week, in Part II I hope to list the remainder of unique sections starting with Ike’s Bagels and Breakfast, and to delve more into what the future will entail.
Hours will mimic those of KC Hollywood: 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday with an extra hour on Thursday, closing at 10 p.m. Friday will open at 7 a.m. as well and will close two hours before Shabbat.
Deliveries of all items will be available and may easily be arranged through the app (KC Market) or the website (koshercentral.com). Orders will be delivered on the same day. Deliveries will be made to Orlando for Pesach this year as well as locally.
Cheri F. Rosen, of Lang Realty, has been a REALTOR® in South Florida since moving to Boca Raton over a decade ago. You can learn more about real estate in South Florida by calling Cheri at 561-221-2233 or visiting Cheri’s website: southfloridacondosandhouses.com or just Google the words Orthodox Boca. Cheri’s website is the top search result. Submit your personal questions and concerns to Cheri, and they will be answered personally, or anonymously in future columns.
