Catering from Rosh Hashanah to Passover

His parents may have owned the business, but at age 13, Bobby Leshansky learned how to run Max’s Appetizing & Kosher Deli in Woodmere from doing the more menial tasks in the middle of preparing for his bar mitzvah.

“I learned the business from the bottom up,” said Leshansky, who now owns the family-run deli on Broadway. “Everything from washing dishes to preparing the food.”

Leshansky’s parents, Jerry and Daisy, first opened the doors in 1947. Today, Leshansky also operates a kosher catering business, Majestic Caterer, and travels as far as Connecticut, Manhattan and the North Shore of Long Island to serve his loyal customers.

“Most of my business is conducted outside of the community,” he said. “I don’t mind going out of my way for a customer and I’ve even come in on a day we’re closed because customer loyalty is that important to me. For the type of catering I do, no one does it better.”

Max’s customer base formerly and still includes secular Jews and also Greeks and Italians. “It was a real cross-section of society,” Leshansky said. “Now, it’s the old- time customers in the community.”

Customers flock to Max’s for traditional favorites such as Matzoh Ball soup and chopped liver as well as a smorgasbord of smoked fish including baked salmon and Nova Scotia lox.

According to Leshansky, Majestic Caterer will accommodate any event from Rosh Hashanah to Passover and everything in between, no matter how big or small the event. “The value is peace of mind to know that it’s done the right way,” he said. “The (customer) will get my expertise and personal attention.”

Leah Glasser of Brotherhood Synagogue in Manhattan has been a customer of Leshansky’s for more than five years and said although he’s not the official caterer of the temple, he might as well be. “I always get excellent feedback from events he caters and I recommend him all the time,” she said. “The food is excellent, he’s reliable and does a wonderful job.”

At Max’s, Leshansky has five employees as well as seeks the occasional help on religious holidays from his wife, Meryl, and sons, Cory, Michael and Jeff.

Meryl, who met Leshansky 28 years ago, said there a lot of fond memories at Max’s. “When I met him it was a very profitable business; a place where people would spend Sunday mornings and schmooze with everybody,” she said. “Unfortunately though, the neighborhood has changed.”

His customers cut across many ethnic groups, Leshansky said, but patronage of his restaurant and catering business has decreased due to the influx of Orthodox Jews into the Five Towns the past several years, he added. “Small businesses are the backbone of this country,” he said. “I’m sticking it out here because I’m hopeful people will recognize the quality we provide.”

Despite the demographic shift, Meryl said running a successful deli takes someone with a work ethic like her husband. “He’s a work horse,” she said of Leshansky. “It takes someone who is dedicated and gives quality service.”

Leshansky said Max’s customer base has changed over the years because business is not drawn from surrounding stores. “We don’t draw from other businesses in the area because of all the empty stores,” he said of downtown Woodmere. “My customers in East Rockaway and Lynbrook feel Woodmere is too far of a distance.”

When asked about a possible solution to the lack of businesses in downtown Woodmere, Leshansky said residents should shop in their community. “People who live local should patronize local,” he said. “There are enough people in this community to keep the (businesses in Woodmere) growing. People who have moved away from the community come back and see that we’re still here.”