5 minute read
Prime All The Time
PRIME All The TIME TIME
By Kevin CzerwinsKi
Jonathan Goldstein was always drawn to food. Whether it was cooking or working in restaurants as a teenager, the thought of working in the food/restaurant industry was always an idea with which he flirted.
That those flirtations blossomed into a full-blown relationship just about a decade ago isn’t surprising when considering how the Old Tappan resident feels about the work to which he refers as “his passion.” What Goldstein gave up in fulfilling his lifelong dream, however, is usually what catches people by surprise.
Goldstein, 39, had spent the first decade of his professional career on Wall Street. The River Vale native and Pascack Valley High School graduate went to Quinnipiac University and majored in economics and finance because he always liked math and thought “that was the way to go.” It turns out his head and his heart were heading in two different directions.
So, he walked away from Wall Street and became a small-business owner, purchasing B&M Food Market in Park Ridge. That was eight years ago. Today he also by his team of team of executive chefs. B&M is open seven days a week with every dish prepared fresh daily.
Additionally, B&M specializes in prime and all natural steaks. Goldstein also features Heritage pork chops, Bell and Evans chickens as well as homemade sauces and crab cakes. His scallion sauce is one of his most popular items, whether you’re talking about marinating a skirt steak or incorporating it into a variety of chicken dishes.
runs one of the premier, full-service gourmet markets in North Jersey, specializing in the fine dining at home experience. Customers can enjoy homemade prepared meals and other ready-to-cook items, experiencing a full restaurant experience with meals that are planned and prepared not only by Goldstein but “I always liked cooking,” Goldstein said. “I worked in restaurants and I was always doing entertainment summer jobs. When people were saying, ‘Hey, pick your major,’ I was a numbers guy and I thought that was the way to go. I liked it, don’t get me wrong. I liked the camaraderie on the trading desk and I
“But this is more of a passion,” he continued. “I know that sounds cliché, but it is real. I would say in year eight of working on Wall Street, after getting engaged and knowing that I had the right person in my life, I had to find the right job. Some people were surprised. What 30-year-old leaves a steady job to purchase a business? People that know me know my determination, though, and this was the right move and were very supportive.”
Goldstein said that when he first purchased the business that he worked on some prepared foods by research but also hired “some amazing” executive chefs and as a result, was able to take the prepared food menu to a higher level. Now, he has a big concentration on catering, whether it’s a 10-person intimate dinner party of a 200-plus person wedding. His motto – “Prime All the Time.”
That motto isn’t just lip service, either. His commitment to detail, along with the quality of his product, has earned him a loyal following in North Jersey. It has also allowed him to expand. He recently moved out of B&M’s original location in Park Ridge to a new location just a short walk up Kinderkamack Road.
The new locale is located in The James, a brandnew building that affords Goldstein nearly twice as much space to operate. It has a new, more efficient kitchen that will not only allow him to expand his catering operation but to also provide outdoor space for sit-down lunches.
“The sit-down outdoor lunch is something I am very excited about,” said Goldstein, who added that currently his business is 30 percent catering and 70 percent walk-in. “We’re also going to offer after-hours VIP dinner parties. We’ll have a custom menu for anywhere from an eight-person sit-down dinner to a 40-person cocktail party on site. We’ll have a wait staff and it will be BYOB, which will make people happy.”
Goldstein said it took six to eight months to establish himself and allow customers to get to know and
trust him after he bought the business. That gettingto-know you period no longer exists and the move to the new location should provide immediate dividends. It helps that he has the support of Susan, his wife of eight years. The couple have two children – Dean, 6, and Mia, 4. Goldstein takes Sundays off to be with them but his heart is never far from the business. He is too meticulous and detail-oriented, traits that have served him well since he was a child.
“Growing up I was always meticulous when cooking,” he said. “I cooked a lot as a kid. I never cut any corners. I remember my mom and I were making sandwiches once and she didn’t put mayo on every single corner. I said I’m going to take over making sandwiches and she remembers that. Sometimes I’m too detail-oriented to a fault but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” Goldstein also credits what he calls “an amazing staff, A-plus,” stressing that in small business you are only as good as the people with whom you surround yourself. They helped him navigate the pandemic – B&M employed curbside pickup and began making deliveries when things were really bad – and will be there with him when he opens his new operation in the new year.
“It’s been a fun ride and I’m anxious for the new store for what the next steps will be for B&M,” Goldstein said. “I love when someone emails, texts or calls and says, ‘Hey, Jonathan, that party you gave for my wife’s surprise or my parents birthday or the holiday was perfect.’ There’s not a better feeling.”
