Keeping it in the Family

Chef Dawid Revell once owned the popular Atlanta restaurants Go Vegan Grill and Mama’s Yawd (Jamaican). He also ran a take-out bakery. Now, his children have learned from his culinary expertise and independently prepare and sell kosher take-out food at the Shabbat Shuk (Hebrew for Shabbat Market), a weekly tented pop-up in front of the Spicy Peach grocery in the Toco Hills Shopping Center.

Revell sold his restaurants and is now an established kosher caterer and personal chef, operating the business, Kosher Chef Now. Known throughout Atlanta, his projects have expanded to include the Shabbat Shuk that sells fully-cooked main and side dishes packed in lidded aluminum pans, ready to be heated for Shabbat. The Shabbat Shuk, in partnership with The Spicy Peach, is set up every Friday morning from 9:30 am until they are sold out, usually by the late morning or early afternoon.

All food sold in the Shabbat Shuk is prepared fresh by Revell’s teen and young adult children on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Congregation Beth Jacob kitchen under the on-site supervision of Atlanta Kashrut Commission mashgiach, Yosef Radfard. The name, Kosher Chef Now, was coined by Revell’s wife, Frances. Busy Atlanta families who sought help with preparing flavorful, unique Shabbat meals every week often contacted Revell, and their pleas, “We need a kosher chef, now!” perfectly summarized a service Revell agreed to provide. Kosher Chef Now was born.

The Shabbat Shuk offers several choices of fish, chicken, beef dishes, and assorted sides. There’s always a combination of community favorites and new offerings, descriptively labeled and clearly priced Each fully-cooked selection will generously serve two hungry adults. Fish (pareve) is prepared separately from the meat prep area and is cooked in special pans with separate utensils. Shuk customers often buy multiple mains and sides to keep on hand in their freezers or to serve throughout the week.

The entire Shabbat Shuk production is carried out by Revell’s children who learned their father’s food savvy, diligence, and organization skills. Revell taught them the food business and continues to mentor them from the sidelines, but he’s rarely present when they’re cooking or staffing the Shuk because he is most often catering or busy on a private home cooking gig.

His offspring work as a Shabbat Shuk team and sometimes bring in extended family members to help on big jobs, like catering events and simchas. Each of the core team members has a specific role and expertise; however, all of them are well experienced in the Kosher Chef Now model.

Son, David, 18, who also is active remodeling houses, boxing, and in Judaic learning, will soon attend an Israeli Yeshiva. Currently, he has the responsibility of Kosher Chef Now general business manager. Daughter, Chef Ramiyah, 20, a soup expert, singer, and fashion/accessory maven, supervises the cooks and the complex Shabbat Shuk cooking process, overseeing the detailed task from start to finish. David and Ramiyah together manage the payroll: in addition to myriad other expenses, family members (some in the extended mishpacha) who work for Kosher Chef Now get paid. Daughter, Elisheva, 15, who attends North Druid High School, is the pastry chef in the family; she joins David and Ramiyah for Shuk work and other cooking when she’s not in school. Son, Baruch, 22, who has a “day job,” assists for major catering and simcha events.

Working in the Beth Jacob kitchen, carefully packing for the Shuk, and greeting and advising customers under their tent outside The Spicy Peach, the close camaraderie of the siblings, their amiable personalities, and respectful customer service are notable. Their father’s mentoring is evident, even though he is seldom on site.

Revell explains, “A father needs to constrict himself in order to let the next generation achieve their highest potential, in whatever they choose to do.”

Revell is not a laissez faire father: he knows that living a meaningful life involves much more than food. The result is that the Revell offspring are multi-talented, worldly-wise, confident, and independent. Revell’s effective fathering is structured and unique, and he and Frances share an approach to childrearing. Before the age of their children’s Jewish maturity (daughters at 12, sons at 13), Frances’ role was more pronounced. As their children’s self-responsibility grew, Dawid’s role deepened. The parents made sure that their offspring acquired a profession and built upon their individual talents and natural gifts.

Three times a year, the entire family works on farms, where, as Dawid notes, “We learn about food from the ground to the kitchen, and we sense G-d’s power.” Every one of the Revells plays a musical instrument or sings, and the parents and children often jam and sing together. Dawid states, “Music builds intelligence and soothes the soul.”

All siblings have learned first aid to care for themselves and others. Both sexes engage in Jewish learning and are schooled in self-defense; they know how to defend themselves and others, and they understand when and when not to fight. “We coach our children how to be safe in the world,” Revell says.

The Revells participate in Atlanta’s broad Jewish community. They are active members of Congregation Shaarei Shamayim where Dawid and Frances serve in many capacities. Dawid is a past vice president of membership of the shul, and during winter months, the family prepares Friday evening soup for the congregation, who join after services to welcome the Sabbath together. Dawid has served on the Domestic Allocations Committee at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and is one of the caterers for the annual Toco Hills Community Shabbat.

Revell appreciates the teachings of his mother, Pauline Revell, an émigré who came to America from Jamaica as a teen, and who was well-known as a chef, nurse, herbalist, and caterer. She followed the legacy of her own mother, Mama Sullivan, a respected Jamaican cook and baker. Other than his mother, Dawid’s greatest influence was his uncle, Dr. Mark Spero, and his family. They lived a full Orthodox Jewish life, which Ravell found beautiful, inspiring, and compelling. For years, young Dawid traveled from Trenton, N.J., to spend almost every Shabbat and Yom Tov in New York to share the experience with his embracing aunt and uncle.

The Revells treasure the welcoming, inclusive Orthodox shul Rabbi Mark Kunis has fostered at Shaarei Shamayim; however, friendly Dawid occasionally frequents Orthodox synagogues Ohr Hatorah, Ner Hamizrah, and Beth Jacob near home in the Toco Hills area. Revell is naturally outgoing. He states, “We love our people, and our family is passionate about making delicious food that makes others happy!”

Do you need food for Shabbat or want to keep fully-cooked kosher meals in your freezer? Go to www.kosherchefnow.com for their weekly Shabbat Shuk menu. For catering or to arrange for Chef Revell to cook in your kitchen, go to the kosherchefnow.com website. Better yet, check out the Shabbat Shuk at The Spicy Peach, 2887 North Druid Hills Road.