Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Cohen
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My venture into hospitality began over twenty years ago as a server at The Cheesecake Factory to put myself through college. I went from waiting tables to becoming the youngest general manager in company history at 27 years old. After fifteen years in corporate and various moves around the country with my wife, Kelly, we settled in Nantucket, Kelly’s hometown. Kelly’s sister-in-law was friendly with Patrick Ridge (founder of Island Kitchen) and knew that Patrick was seeking a partner to help scale. Within six months, I was running Island Kitchen’s restaurant and we expanded into full-service catering in 2017.
When Covid hit three years later, we kept business afloat largely due to our mobile kitchen. One of the silver linings of the pandemic was that we were in a position to provide meals to underprivileged students (elementary, middle, and high schoolers) who relied on school meals. This led to a lot of goodwill with the community and post-Covid, business exploded across the restaurant and catering arm. Young and hungry, we thought, “Let’s do this”. We had the infrastructure, the trucks, and an amazing team with an appetite to work. Since many of our Nantucket clients have residences in South Florida, Palm Beach in particular, that’s where we landed. We arrived with one mobile truck and no kitchen space, catering small events and dinner parties for select Nantucket clients. We partnered with Cisco Brewery on a pop-up taco truck on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach and fell in love with it – the seasonality and the community. Within the same year, we purchased our first commissary kitchen and after splitting time between Nantucket and South Florida, I moved my family here full-time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We are extremely fortunate that our expansion into South Florida has been organic. The business cultivated a loyal following in Nantucket and many of those clients championed our arrival in Palm Beach, allowing us to shift infrastructure with confidence and ease.
That said, the event ecosystem is very different in Palm Beach. The style of life is different, the event schedule is different. Naturally, our ‘Superbowl season’ in Nantucket is the summer. It’s a laid-back, casual atmosphere and events happen every day of the week because most folks are on vacation. In Palm Beach, events are consolidated into the weekends and for many clients, their home is their primary residence so it’s a completely different level of expectation, care, and privacy.
We’ve been impressed with Island Kitchen Catering Palm Beach, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The quality of our food, our customization capabilities, and the service we provide is unparalleled. Our business model (read: mobile kitchens) sets us apart from other companies. The IK client is discerning and expects the very best. We deliver it and it keeps them returning.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I grew up with a single mom and I loved to have dinner made for her when she returned from work. Go-to meals for my mom were burgers stuffed with cheddar cheese and bacon with a side of tater tots, or ‘dirty tacos’ (I still call them that). Basically, your grocery-store taco kits and standard taco seasoning.
That’s where my love of hospitality is rooted – making someone happy, connecting through food and service.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://islandkitchen.com/catering
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ikcateringpalmbeach/ and https://www.instagram.com/iknantucket/
