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A Suffolk County soul food spot that opened as a deli during the depths of the pandemic has found a new home — and new hope.
Eleazers Deli & Soul Food is aiming to open in Mastic by late November after its current spot on Weaver Avenue in Bellport was sold to a new landlord.
“I look at it like this: If we made it through the pandemic when we had $200 days and $300 days and we were going through our savings, then we need to keep going,” said deli owner Jerome Eleazer, 48. “People are coming through the door, people are saying how good the food is, the word is out.
“So we need to keep going.”
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But going into the food business hasn’t been an easy road for Eleazer, a Bellport native who also works part-time as a truck driver.
“I came close several times to closing the doors and going back to driving 18-wheelers,” he said.
Eleazer, who is married to a nurse, originally planned to run the namesake business as a deli with what he called “a touch of soul” that offered home-cooked fried chicken and wings.
Foodie photos from Eleazers Deli & Soul Food
The father of four ended up taking the advice of his kids and doing more.
“We travel a lot and hit the local spots,” he said. “My kids would say, ‘Dad, you should have just cooked at the resort, your food is better.’ This went on for years.”
Eleazer’s sons helped him build the deli and his mother occasionally pops in to help with the cooking.
“I was always around someone who cooked,” he said. “So I guess I can say I got my motivation from my mom and my grandma.”
The new spot at 630 Mastic Road, formerly RG Wings, will be a restaurant with seating for 16 and Eleazer hopes to acquire state licensing so alcohol can be served.
“Nothing like having a nice martini with a good meal after a long day,” he said. “At least for me.”
The most popular menu choices, Eleazer said, have been jerk chicken and fried chicken, along with wings that are a fan favorite during football season.
He said the deli, which remains open until further notice, was selling up to 800 lbs of wings per week during football season, but conceded that summer has been “tough” for business.
“So I can’t wait for football to put us right back,” he said.
Eleazer called the current location a “hidden gem,” while adding that the new spot is in a more high-traffic area in a shopping plaza alongside a Handy Pantry supermarket, a barbershop, nail salon and a Chinese takeout place.
Still licensed to drive 18-wheelers, Eleazer occasionally gets behind the wheel on weekends for 10- to 12-hour trips on which he listens to audio books and plans meals.
“I have bigger hopes and dreams,” he said. “The deli was a starting point and it opened doors and it opened my cooking to a different genre, but we want to do more.”
One thing that Eleazer said will not change is his family’s commitment to greeting diners warmly and treating them “how we would want to be treated.”
“That’s the difference,” he said. “For me, it’s all about the joy of people eating my food and the chance to build something for my family.”
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Top: The team behind Eleazers Deli & Soul Food at the soon-to-be-opened location in Mastic, located at 605-5 Mastic Road. (Credit: Instagram)
