Today we’d like to introduce you to Susie Lustgarten.
Susie, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Ten years ago, I started baking Challah Bread every Friday for my Family Shabbat dinners and my children encouraged me to sell what they described as “Heavenly Challah.”
Word of mouth soon made this delivery only Friday small hobby into something larger. I introduced desserts and salads to the menu and later on a full catering menu for Shabbat dinners and Jewish holidays. Six years ago, we decided to look for a kitchen to do the business out of the house and be able to reach a larger clientele that required strict dietary rules to label the catering as “Glatt Kosher.” We service kosher and nonkosher clients because of menu choices that include Latin, Mediterranean and of course Jewish cuisine.
Has it been a smooth road?
Cooking is my passion and my happy place is in the kitchen and storefront interacting with customers. I would be lying if I said it’s been smooth sailing- every business had ups and downs, especially in Miami that depends a lot on seasonal clients. All is made smoother with my husband/partner’s help. William manages all not cooking-related chores and is my go-to person for tasting dishes.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I take care of running the kitchen, setting daily, weekly and holiday menus. Design social media posts & weekly email blasts. I interact with clients directly from the moment order is received, planning the day to day purchase, invoicing, collecting and delivery or pick up logistics. My dishes are known as homemade flavors – what grandma used to make. I am lucky to have people working for me from differs nationalities -Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, and Haiti. I love to have them cook dishes from their homeland and that help to keep things new and interesting.
I am proud of the team we’ve created and having what people call moms and pop stores. I feel that what sets me apart is that when people taste my dishes, they realize that “kosher” doesn’t make it different just better.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel that Miami is a great city for business like mine because it’s a hub for immigrants from all over the world that are always looking for food that takes them back to “home.” We depend on tourists and snowbirds and Miami has a lot of that. There’s a serious competition but we work hard on keeping quality, variety and customer service.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2228 NE 123 St
North Miami, FL 33181 - Website: www.soheavenly.net
- Phone: 7869998432
- Email: susie@soheavenly.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soheavenlycatering/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soheavenlycatering/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/so-heavenly-north-miami
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
