Season’s greetings to everyone and I hope you all had a happy Hannukah for those who celebrated and I hope everyone is doing their best to stay on Santa’s nice list! The pandemic has certainly given us all the coal in our stockings that we can handle, so let’s hope and pray for better times this Christmas Season.
I was saddened to learn that one of our former local food industry leaders passed away in November.
Robert (Bob) Gewelb passed away on November 9 at his home in Boynton Beach at the age of 88. Many of you know Bob from his decades long career at Krasdale Foods where he spent 34 years before retiring as chief operating officer. He was a constant fixture on the local food scene and was a fair and honorable man who along with Krasdale CEO Charles Krasne, built one of the finest wholesale grocers in the country. He is survived by his wife Harriet and joins the late Yola Gewelb; he also leaves behind his daughter Allison (the late Bobby) Hall, Neil (Sue) Gewelb, Lisa (Terry) Byrne and Jodi (Jerry) Hunt. He also leaves 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
The family asks that any donations in his memory be sent to Calvary Hospital, 1740 Eastchester Rd., Bronx, NY 10461, or Hadassah or the The PAP Corps – The Grove Chapter at https://www.thepapcorps.org/the-grove/.
Sympathy cards may be sent to Neil Gewelb at 3 Moriah Lane, Montebello, NY 10901.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
The activity on Long Island has been picking up as discount grocer Aldi plans to open a new store in a Carle Place shopping center that hasn’t had a supermarket in 30 years (since a Waldbaum’s there closed). According to Newsday, Aldi has signed a lease to open a 21,093 square foot store in Parkway Plaza on Glen Cove Road. The paper cited Kristen Moore, spokeswoman for Brixmor Property Group Inc., the Manhattan-based real estate investment trust that owns Parkway Plaza.
Aldi’s presence “will add a daily-needs grocer in the space formerly occupied by Minado Japanese Seafood Buffet and Stew Leonard’s Wines,” she said.
Since entering the Long Island market in 2011, Aldi has opened nine grocery stores in the area, including one in October in Shirley and two last year in Valley Stream and North Babylon. The chain also is planning to open a store in part of a former Kmart space in Sayville Plaza on Sunrise Highway in Bohemia.
Also, Amazon is planning a third Amazon Fresh grocery store for Long Island, in part of an East Setauket location that was previously a Waldbaum’s. This site will join locations that are in the works for Oceanside and Plainview. The Oceanside site is also a former Waldbaum’s and the Plainview site was a Fairway Market.
Well if you ever want to go fishing, I would highly recommend tagging along with JOH’s Chris Darmody, EVP of their fresh division. Chris recently took home first place in the 23rd Annual Back Eddy Striped Bass Tournament in his home state of Rhode Island. While I have known some pretty good food industry seafaring chaps over the years, (Tom Cullen, King Kullen; Dan McGiveny, Kings; Joe Fantozzi, ARS and the old White Rose to name a few) this was a big deal and a huge win for Chris.
Chris won the weekend tournament entering a combined 25.42 pounds of striped bass and bluefish over the three days. Now I know some of you are thinking that doesn’t sound like much, but local fishing regulations prohibit the taking of bass under 28 inches and over 35. So unlike previous years when the biggest fish was often 40 pounds or more, this year’s tournament was a combined weight event. Well done, big guy, and can’t wait to catch up with you and hear all about it!
Kudos to Bob Cignarella and his team at RDD Associates as well as the Sumas family and their team at Village Supermarkets on a recent gathering at Bin 37 located at the ShopRite of Greater Morristown. The two groups came together to celebrate not only the season and friendships, but to recognize the efforts of the Sumas Family Foundation, which was started in 2019 to help local charities such as ALS, Autism Speaks, the Valerie Fund, Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation and several more, and has been doing tremendous charitable work. Also, it was the first time that Bin 37 was open for celebration since the pandemic started. (It had recently been used to administer vaccinations and booster shots!). A great time was had by all and there was agreement from all parties to continue the good work of the Sumas Family Foundation.
One of the real good guys on the meat side of the business is hanging up his apron. Joe O’Connell of Best Provisions will retire at the end of this year. Joe has been involved in the business for more than 40 years since he first started with GMD Sales. From stints at Montfort Beef, Dubuque, Carando and Best Provisions, Joe has always been one of the more knowledgeable “meatheads” I have encountered in the business as well as being an all-around good guy. We wish him well in his retirement and nothing but good health to enjoy it.
Allegiance Retail Services recently launched a Three-Ingredient Challenge under the Foodtown banner as part of an ongoing dedication to provide shoppers with the convenience they need to serve healthy meals. The demands of work and family activities, and cooking fatigue after the pandemic can present challenges to making time for a home-cooked meal.
The inspirational Three-Ingredient Challenge featuring quick and delicious recipes for easy, healthy eating during the holidays and throughout the year. There are recipes for easy to prepare holiday dishes as well as cookies for Santa. Consumers can participate in the challenge by sharing their favorite three-ingredient recipes for the chance to win a $100 Foodtown gift card. “This exciting program engages a 360-degree approach to strategically promote the campaign through all marketing channels,” said Donna Zambo, VP and chief marketing officer. “We aim to build awareness that Foodtown is an integral member of the community, dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our associates and customers.”
The promotion is being supported by Foodtown’s AOR (agency of record), Constellation Agency, which produced and is now managing the digital content for The Three-Ingredient Challenge across Foodtown’s organic and paid platforms. “Foodtown understands better than anyone in the grocery space that making a meaningful impact requires a hyper-localized approach to advertising,” says Constellation’s CEO Diana Lee. “Since the campaign launched in September, we’ve seen an average click-thru-rate well over 1 percent, an astounding early indication that eye-catching creative put in front of the right audiences can drive powerful results.” The media mix also includes website, radio and in-store digital screens, and in retail stores featuring signage with QR codes where shoppers can see videos. The Three-Ingredient Challenge features Foodtown’s own dynamic registered dietitian and nutritionist Jacqueline Gomes, who will lead the way in providing tips and recipes for quick and healthy meals. “Recipes don’t have to be complicated; they can be healthy and yummy with ingredients such as salsa and dark chocolate,” Gomes says. “We hope this will inspire folks to create and share fun, easy recipes and have extra time to enjoy the holidays.”
While speaking of Foodtown, a tip of the hat to Angelo Avena and Joe Paravati, owners of A&J Foodtown, as they were acknowledged by multiple organizations for their exceptional work in keeping their Bellerose, NY supermarket open and servicing the community during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Kenneth Moore of the Incorporated Village of Bellerose issued an official proclamation acknowledging the valuable contribution of A&J Foodtown to Bellerose Village. Moore discussed the coronavirus situation and how it has placed a burden on the local supermarket, in particular saying this was not only because of an increased workload, but increased health and safety risks as well. The proclamation praised the employees of the Bellerose Foodtown supermarket for continuing to work throughout the pandemic, risking their own wellbeing. It highlighted measures implemented by management to ensure the safety of staff and customers alike; and, through all their sacrifices, the store was able to remain open and continue to serve the community.
The Joint Bellerose Business District Development Corporation also issued a certificate of appreciation to A&J Foodtown, thanking the associates for their services during the pandemic. It specifically stated the deep appreciation for A & J and the exceptional front line and essentials workers for their service during the pandemic to the people and businesses of Bellerose Manor, Bellerose Township, and Bellerose Village. Upon receiving the recognitions, Avena said, “It’s been our pleasure to serve the Bellerose community as Foodtown since 2012 and we look forward to continuing our commitment for many years to come. We have become a family.” A&J Market opened the grocery store in 1999 as Met Food before transitioning to the Foodtown banner. Well done, guys!
Well, the holiday season is upon us and I want to wish you all the joy, wonder, hope and blessings that the season brings. Please be careful when getting together with your loved ones, family and friends, as these last few weeks have shown us and reminded us that this pandemic is not over until it’s over.
Enjoy the holiday and I look forward to seeing you all in 2022! As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or kevin@foodtradenews.com.
