Business & Tech

New Key Food to Feature Natural, Organic Products

Owner Benjamin Levine said he's anticipating a mid-August grand opening.

Rockville Centre residents will soon be able to buy natural and organic foods closer to home.

Key Food Fresh, the supermarket that's replacing the on Ocean Avenue, is set to open in mid-August and owner Benjamin Levine said quality, fresh foods will be its staple.

"Our meats and produce are top notch," Levine said. "No other place on the South Shore will be like this."

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Levine is the president of Pick Quick Foods, Inc., a family-owned food chain his grandfather started in 1936. Levine, who was raised in Long Beach, owns seven Key Food Fresh locations including four in Brooklyn.

He explained that the Key Food Fresh will feature a "farmers-market type" produce section, a full kitchen and deli area along with an on-site sushi chef, in addition to a large bakery. The deli will sell Boarshead products, he said, but will highlight Chairman Reserve — a line of top tier black angus meats.

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It will also have a huge, local dairy section with a "high-quality cheese island," he said, that will contain myriad cheese varieties from around the world.

The entire store is being gutted and renovated from top to bottom, Levine noted, and the new Key Food Fresh will have a completely different look than the outdated Waldbaum's.

"This is not your mother's Key Food," said Executive Vice President Howard Lipman.

He added that their prices will be lower than nearby competitors. "Compared to others, we'll be on the lower scale of prices," Levine said.

Levine said they are currently conducting interviews for more than 100 open positions. They are interviewing potential employees over the next two weeks on Tuesday and Thursday (1-5 p.m.) and Saturday (8 a.m. to noon).

Lipman added that the village has been nothing but accomodating to them during the entire process. "Hats off to the village for making it easy to do business here," he said.


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