By Emma Barhydt
I knew I was in for a treat when our meal began with Chef David asking me if there was anything I didn’t eat, my response was no, I love to eat anything and everything. Chef David replied, “God bless you. As a chef, music to my ears.” And what a treat it was, as you read last week in my review, Greenwich & Delancey has become one of my all-time favorite restaurants in town, but even more delightful than the meal itself was getting to share it with Chef David as he introduced me to his wonderful world of cooking. It’s not every day I get to sit down with the Chef who’s generously feeding me, and to have the Chef explain the story of the restaurant and his culinary journey while you’re eating the food he’s prepared… it’s an incredible experience.
“I opened at the height of COVID, and I’m such a perfectionist. I’m like, I want to take it slow until I get everything worked out to my standards, and then people should find out,” explained Chef David. As for why Chef David decided to open the first Kosher restaurant in Greenwich’s history, “I moved from Manhattan to Greenwich during COVID,” he said, “and there’s no place, there’s nothing to eat like the kind of food I’m used to.” Homesickness is a motivator we can all relate to, and how incredible is it that the cure for homesickness is so often food? Yes, you did hear that right, the first Kosher restaurant in town ever. “We broke history.”
If you’re wondering about the name of the restaurant, like I was, “ to come up with the name, took me forever. I couldn’t figure out how to tie in Greenwich and an old-school delicatessen, so that’s where Delancey came into my mind,” Chef David remarked.
“Delancey is a very famous street in Manhattan, where all the immigrants, Lower East Side, New York, started when they migrated, and, actually one of the first places where pastrami was ever made in the states, was on Delancey Street.,” he said, “So, it brings a lot of connection. So Greenwich is like new-school, and Delancey is old-school, so Greenwich & Delancey.”
“We take zero shortcuts on quality. It’s all about the best ingredients I can get my hands on, as a chef.” That goes from the quality of the meats and spices, all the way down to the oil. You’ll find nothing deep-fried at Greenwich & Delancy, but everything is delicious.
“Everything takes longer. Our pastrami takes days to make because the process of smoking, curing, and steaming it to get it to this consistency takes days,” explained Chef David, “All of our meals are kosher, so we get the best possible beef from Texas shipped to us. Spices are always handpicked. We go to the market for the vegetables.”
But for Chef David, there’s nothing more gratifying, “it’s a lot of fun to see people’s reactions when they eat their food and they’re like, ‘Oh my God,’ they roll their eyes. And as a chef, that excites me.”
Beyond the dedication to quality ingredients, Chef David’s philosophy of treating guests like family is tangible in every interaction in the restaurant. “My front of the house team, because I always tell my staff, ‘I’m not in front of every guest, and it’s how you are representing me,’ meaning, we need to treat every guest as if they came to your house,” noted Chef David.
Guests are not just fed; they are cared for, with complimentary offerings and hospitality that goes beyond the norm. “That’s our philosophy. It’s like you’re in our house, and that’s why we want to feed you and keep feeding you,” he said, “That’s how we are with all our guests. It’s very important to us.”
It’s an inspiration he takes from his family, “I get a lot of my inspiration from my grandparents, and they were Holocaust survivors. Their fridges had to be packed, and they if they had 10 guests coming, they’re cooking for 50, because they would always worry you’re not going to have enough food.”
Chef David’s concept revolves around a theme that transcends the ordinary delicatessen experience. “We’re really trying to create a theme,” he explains. This theme isn’t just about food; it’s a multisensory journey. He aims to engage all five senses, ensuring that guests do not merely consume food but experience it in every way. “I’m all about the chef hitting all five senses, so I want you to see it, smell it, touch it,” he explained, “Otherwise, I’m just bringing you a finished product. So this way, you’re actually seeing the entire process, and it’s exciting.”
“Try a matzah babka, a bite that’s given as a complementary bite to everybody. There’s a story behind it,” Chef David said, “Since 1920, my great-grandfather and grandfather supplied the Jewish community with matzah, risking their lives to be able to produce matzah, which was completely not allowed; they were Communists at the time. And then later on, my grandfather survived the war, and after the war, he continued doing it until 1979.” He continued, “In honor of them, I do this little bite for them.”
“So heritage is really foundational to everything that you do here,” I said, to which Chef David replied, “Everything on the menu has a story. Everything has a story.”
Chef David’s inspiration from his Grandparents extends beyond the borders of Greenwich & Delancey, inspiring him to action in an incredibly tangible way. “I feed 80 Holocaust survivors weekly. I started during the height of the pandemic when I lived in the city at that moment, I would walk for four or five hours a day, didn’t know what to do with myself,” he explained. “I started thinking about my grandparents if they were alive, who would take care of them,” he continued, People were stuck, they couldn’t travel, you couldn’t go anywhere. So I was thinking, who’s taking care of them? They already went through starvation once in their life. They should never go hungry again.”
Undeterred by the closures and restrictions, Chef David reached out to museums, gathering names of those in need. His dedication saw the reopening of kitchens, where he and his team prepared meals with care and love. This initiative wasn’t just about providing food; it was about creating a sense of family and community during a time when loneliness and isolation were at their peak.
“I reached out to the [Jewish Hertiage] museum, I said, ‘Please send me people who, in need, get me their names.’ And I started feeding all the survivors,” remarked Chef David, “It was really for Covid, but I can’t stop. They’re so excited to get the food weekly. It became like a family.” On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a survivor, fondly referred to as the ‘mayor of the survivors’, left a voicemail expressing her gratitude, “We always feel special. We feel somebody is looking out for us.” Chef David extends that same generosity to those here, in town, “And if anyone’s in need, a survivor that needs a meal, we’ll supply it. We’re all about giving.”
Chef David’s journey from a Manhattan chef to the pioneer of Greenwich’s first kosher delicatessen is not just a tale of culinary excellence, but also one of deep personal passion and commitment to community. Beyond the mouth-watering food, Chef David’s story, his family’s legacy, and his commitment to excellence and giving back to the community visiting Greenwich & Delancey an unforgettable experience. Sometimes, we forget the personal touch in the quest for convenience, but Chef David and his amazing team remind us of the beauty of connecting through food, history, and compassion.
