Western Beef Shopping center officially named ‘Soundview Plaza’

By Steven Goodstein for Bronx Times

A shopping center in the Bronx is greatly improved after undergoing renovations for the past 18 months.

On Tuesday, December 10, Councilman Ruben Diaz joined Sarene and Corey Shanus, along with local business owners and merchants for an official ‘Grand Reopening and Name Unveiling Ceremony’ of the renewed Soundview Plaza.

Located between 829–849 Soundview Avenue, the 63,000 square foot shopping center received improvements including parapet replacement and the updating of tenant signage during the year and a half renovation period.

The property improvements were made thanks to property development and management company Harlorn LLC, which invested over five million dollars to improve and beautify the property, reflecting the company’s long-standing commitment to both customers and merchants who call this shopping center home.

Soundview Plaza houses a wide variety of food, beverage, retail and service brands along the Soundview Avenue strip, within close proximity to Bruckner Boulevard.

“We hope that these renovations reaffirm our commitment to the Soundview neighborhood and its businesses that call this area home,” said Sarene Shanus. “Our primary goal was to make an investment in the community, to serve the needs of its tenants and provide job opportunities for the residents of this neighborho­od.”

She added that, before the name unveiling, the strip mall was referred to simply as ‘the deli shopping center’ and was excited to give the shopping center an official name.

“We are only as good as our tenants — and with these improvements to the shopping center, we [Harlorn LLC] are investing not only in these businesses but also in the neighborhood as a whole,” said Sarene’s brother Corey Shanus.

The shopping center has been in the Shanus family for close to 60 years. Their father originally owned Soundview Plaza and was a resident of Tiffany Street.

After moving to Westchester County, their father operated a business on Barretto Street for over a decade. Both Sarene and Corey were born and raised in Westchester and still live there today.

The ten tenants at Soundview Plaza include Western Beef Supermarket, Metro PCS, Cee & Cee Department Store, CFFC Checking & Cashing, Franchise Cleaner, Hot Millz Deli, Ms. Caridid Spanish Restaurant, Jubilant Beauty Salon and Lafayette Family Pharmacy.

Soundview Plaza is accessible from the Bx5 and Bx27 buses and also offers approximately 125 parking spots on site for customers and shoppers.

Soundview Plaza also is located about a half a mile west of the Bruckner Commons and within walking distance of the Soundview Library at 660 Soundview Avenue.

“With this ribbon-cutting [ceremony], we celebrate Harlon LLC’s capital investment in this community for many years to come,” said Councilman Diaz, who stood with the Shanuses and other business owners as he helped cut the ribbon. I am proud of their investment and even happier to see so many small businesses occupy these spaces. Best of luck to Soundview Plaza ushering in a new chapter!”

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Western Beef’s charity, The Castellana Foundation recognized by Fundezpaz NYC for sponsoring home construction projects for those in need

The Castellana Foundation, Western Beef’s meat and produce wholesaler National Food Distributors, and the Castellana family are proud to support Fundepaz NYC by way of sponsoring their home construction projects in the Caribbean, South America and Central America. Michael Castellana of National Food Distributors is pictured above with a representative from Fundepaz NYC.

On September 16th, National Food Distributors was recognized by Fundepaz NYC for support and sponsoring their housing and construction projects.

Fundepaz is a nonprofit organization and for the past 9 years has built 225 homes in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Columbia and the Philippines.

The Castellana Foundation is a proud partner of Fundepaz NYC and look forward to supporting them on future endeavors.

 

Western Beef supermarket is a proud early adopter of Healthy Savings which helps customers save money when they purchase healthy products

Food Lion this week plans to begin accepting the Healthy Savings card, which gives shoppers discounts on better-for-you foods.

The Salisbury, N.C.-based grocery chain said that, starting on Aug. 7, customers in Virginia who are Healthy Savings cardholders will be able to save instantly at checkout on fresh produce, whole grains, lean meat, yogurt and other foods.

Related: Food Lion debuts revamped stores in Virginia

Plans call for Healthy Savings to be implemented chainwide within the next two weeks. Food Lion, part of Ahold Delhaize USA, has more than 1,000 stores overall in 10 states.

Consumers signed up for Healthy Savings can save more than $50 each week on healthier foods without having to clip, print or download coupons.

Related: Piggly Wiggly Midwest joins Healthy Savings network

“Food Lion offers an expanded assortment of healthy products at affordable prices, and we are excited to offer additional savings on our already low prices to customers,” Marty Miller, customer loyalty manager at Food Lion, said in a statement.

Healthy Savings is a service of Solutran Inc., a Minneapolis-based electronic benefits transfer (EBT) and payment processor. Powered by Solutran’s S3 platform, the program is sponsored by health plans, nonprofits, government entities and private employers as a way to promote personal well-being by getting employees to eat more wisely, particularly more fresh fruit and vegetables.

After enrolling at MyHealthySavings.com, customers get a Healthy Savings card and then register it and download the Healthy Savings mobile app. The program begins with 25% off fresh produce and adds similar discounts on lean meat, whole-grain bread, milk, eggs and other healthful food. More than 200 brands provide savings on prequalified products promoted on the program, whose members buy 70% more fresh produce than non-members.

“Healthy Savings members shop at stores where they can save on the healthier foods they seek,” said Chad Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer of Solutran, the company behind Healthy Savings, “and the addition of Food Lion will give Healthy Savings members many more convenient locations to shop.”

Solutran has said it plans to expand the Healthy Savings retail network to more than 22,000 stores in 2019. Butera Market, Piggly Wiggly Midwest, Hy-Vee and Albertsons Cos.’ Acme Markets are among the grocery retailers that have joined the Healthy Savings program this year. Other participating supermarket operators include Cub Foods, Coborn’s, Pick n’ Save, Cash Wise Foods, Copps, Giant Food, Western Beef and Kroger.

The Castellana Foundation donates back-to-school supplies to hundreds of children of Vaverde de Mao, Dominican Republic with help from Ministerios Palabra de vida Eterna

The Castellana Foundation, Western Beef, and their parent company Cactus Holdings Inc.,and Peter Castellana III on behalf of The Castellana family are proud to announce their support for the children of Vaverde de Mao as they head back to school. The Castellana Foundation in partnership with the local church, Ministerios Palabra de vida Eterna, were able to provide back to school supplies for hundreds of children in the area. The Castellana Foundation supports education and believes that it is essential for children to be prepared for school in order to get the most out of their education.

 

For more information on this initiative, please reach out to info@cactusholdings.com.

The Castellana Foundation and Western Beef partner with Gersh Academy for Students on the Autism Spectrum on vocational skills program

The Castellana Foundation, Western Beef, and their parent company Cactus Holdings Inc.,and Peter Castellana III on behalf of the Castellana family are proud to announce their support for Gersh Academy for Students on the Autism Spectrum. Western Beef has been a partner with Gersh Academy for approximately three years.

Through this partnership, Gersh offers their students a vocational opportunity near their campus in West Hempstead, NY. This program helps students build real life work experience.

For more information on this program, please read the following Q&A provided from our partners at Gersh Academy:

“Q: How long has Gersh Academy worked with Western Beef In West Hempstead?

A: Gersh Academy has been working with Western Beef in West Hempstead for approximately the last three years.

Q: How do our students like working there?

A: Our students love working there, they are always excited for this vocational opportunity, and since it’s so close to our school, there is a real sense of community when they work there.

Q: How did Gersh come about working with Western Beef and creating that relationship?

A: Gersh is always looking for opportunities where our students can get real life work experience.  With real life work experience, we try to seek out what an actual work day will look like, including how to get to work.  Travel Training with our students includes walking to different work sites, as well as utilizing public transportation.  This made Western Beef an easy choice.  When initializing the relationship, Sonny, (I believe the store manager at the time) helped to facilitate the relationship, as is always accommodating whenever we are working there.

Q: Can you share with us a positive experience you’ve had with Western Beef and your students?

A: It’s hard to mention just one, as over the course of our relationship, there have been so many students that have greatly benefited from this vocational opportunity.  One time does stand out though, when I was visiting our students working at Western Beef, I noticed how all the students couldn’t wait for their opportunity to help customers bag their items.  Typically we break up students into doing multiple different tasks, and then rotating them, so that they can experience different job roles, but it seemed as though all the students couldn’t wait to interact with customers.  That was special to me, that our students were so comfortable at the work site that they wanted to interact with people.

In closing, I just wanted to reiterate how great of an opportunity working at Western Beef has been for our students.  They learn real life skills that they can transfer to real life jobs down the road.  The staff and management are always so supportive and patient with our students, and together we are truly making a future for these students.  We are Changing Lives!”

Western Beef and The Castellana Foundation are grateful for the invaluable experience of partnering with the faculty and students of Gersh Academy and look forward to being a partner for years to come.

Western Beef sponsors African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament

Published by ModernGhana.com; written by Edwin Molina

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. presented the 2019 African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament championship trophy to Team Senegal, beating Team Benin, on Sunday, May 18, 2019, during the 48th annual Bronx Week Parade.

Team Senegal led throughout most of championship match before Team Benin tied the game up 1-1 late in the second half, taking the game to penalty kicks to decide the champion. Team Senegal edged out Team Benin 2-1 in penalty kicks to win the title.

Team Senegal was one of 12 teams representing various African nations that played every Saturday and Sunday this spring at Macombs Dam Park, in the shadows of iconic Yankee Stadium – home of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) New York Yankees and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) NYCFC soccer club – to determine a Bronx African soccer champion.

Two-time defending champions Team Gambia, who were looking to win third championship title in a row, were eliminated in the qualifying stages.

This year’s African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament was sponsored by Royal Air Maroc, Western Beef and Bronx Cares.

Both the soccer tournament and the African Advisory Council were created in 2010, with help from Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in order to make African immigrants in the borough become more engaged in local government and to unite our diverse African diaspora.

“The passion for ‘the Beautiful Game’ unites people from around the globe, and it’s no different here in The Bronx, as our African Advisory Council Bronx Week Soccer Tournament has shown year after year,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “This pan-African tournament showcases that love of soccer as a binding force among our ever-growing Bronx African community. I want to thank everyone who participated in this wonderful tournament, including the two-time defending champions Gambia, finalist Team Benin and the newly-crowned champions Team Senegal, for a hard-fought championship campaign.”

The Castellana Foundation proudly supports HB Studio of Greenwich Village

The Castellana Foundation, Peter Castellana III on behalf of the Castellana family, Western Beef and parent company Cactus Holdings, proudly support HB Studio in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village. Through support from The Castellana Foundation, HB Studio is able to invest in the preservation of their historic buildings and provide the environment necessary for its staff, students and faculty to explore and enrich their artistic talents.

Here is more information on HB Studio, taken from their website:

“Conceived as an artistic and working home, the Herbert Berghof Studio offers an outlet for practice and growth for the professional theatre artist and an opportunity for the young to establish roots in their intended craft. The Studio’s guiding principle is creative freedom, which has as its logical consequence, a responsibility to a noble art.”

Western Beef is proud to announce that we are the exclusive retail partner of Prime 6 engineered BBQ charcoal!

On Wednesday May 15th, 2019, Western Beef announced that entered into agreements as the exclusive retail partner of Prime 6 charcoal. Prime 6 is a uniquely engineered charcoal that comes in bars in a hexagonal shape to ensure even distribution of heat and the optimal temperature for barbecuing. Western Beef prides itself as New York City’s BBQ Headquarters making it a natural fit for the partnership as we enter BBQ Season.

For purchases of Prime 6’s premium BBQ charcoal, please visit your local Western Beef supermarket, and SOON, find it on Western Beef’s Instacart website where one may order it under an hour throughout the five boroughs, parts of Long Island, Yonkers, New Jersey and South Florida. Prime 6 can be purchased by the bundle which includes 36 hexagonal bars, which only weigh 9 lbs and comes packaged in an easy to carry and stylish hexagonal tote — perfect for grabbing by the handle and taking to the beach with your favorite Western Beef meats and veggies for grilling.

Here’s a quote from a spokesperson at Prime 6 regarding the partnership:

“We are excited about the partnership between Prime 6 and Western Beef. For us, it made complete sense to launch our product locally and to join forces with a chain that has roots in our region, supports innovative brands and serves consumers who are enthusiastic about grilling 365 days of the year.”

Here is more information on their cutting-edge product and their mission as a company:

Prime 6 is the next generation of charcoal. Our pride is to bring innovation to a market that has been forgotten and elevate the category so charcoal is seen like any other specialty ingredient in the kitchen.

Our briquettes have a unique hexagon shape that is purposely designed to elevate and enhance grilling experience and performance, hence our tagline- Engineered to Perform.

You should know that we are nature friendly. We don’t chop down trees to make the briquettes, we collect sawdust,what would otherwise be waste, repurpose it and carbonize till we reach over 90% pure carbon.

As a result of the meticulous manufacturing process, our charcoal burns for over 4 hours and produces intense heat, that is why consumers need to use 30–40% less of Prime 6 charcoal compared to other brands. They also get to carry home a 9 lbs elegant pack instead of a 20 lbs sack. And on top of that, there is no messy cleanup, Prime 6 consumes itself completely leaving the grill with zero ash. The full list of features is listed on the website http://www.prime-six.com.

We are excited to have the New York community enjoy BBQ season spending more time with friends and family and less time refilling the grill.

For the latest on Prime 6, please visit them at their website or follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

Western Beef, Instacart offer same day delivery [Long Island Business News]

* Article originally published at libn.com

A new partnership between Western Beef and Instacart means grocery shoppers can get same-day home delivery. The service is available at   Western Beef stores on Long Island and elsewhere in New York and New Jersey.

The partnership offers convenience for busy families and is “a new way to have fresh groceries and everyday essentials delivered to their door in as fast as an hour,” Sarah Mastrorocco, vice president of business development for Instacart.

Shoppers can select food online or open the Instacart app on their mobile device, choose their city and store, add groceries to the grocery cart at same as in-store prices, and then pick the time to deliver the groceries within one hour or up to five days in advance before checking out. An Instacart personal shopper then picks, packs and delivers the order to the customer in the designated time frame.

For orders of $35 or more, the delivery fee is $3.99. With an Instacart Express membership for $9.99 per month or an annual fee of $99, customers get unlimited, free delivery on all orders over $35.

First-time customers of Western Beef on Instacart can enter the code INSTAWESTERN19 at checkout for free delivery on their first order of $35 or more.

Western Beef teams with Instacart for delivery [SupermarketNews.com]

Warehouse-style supermarket chain Western Beef has launched same-day online grocery delivery with Instacart in metropolitan New York.

The companies said Instacart’s service is now available at Western Beef’s 22 stores in New York and New Jersey, including New York City’s five boroughs and New York’s Westchester County and Long Island. Plans call for the service to launch at Western Beef’s three stores in Florida this week.

Related: Western Beef set to expand self-checkout

Western Beef customers can access the service online at the retailer’s dedicated Instacart page by downloading the Instacart app to their mobile device. After selecting their city and store, they add groceries to their online grocery cart at same and pick a delivery time window — within one hour or up to five days — before checking out. An Instacart personal shopper then picks, packs and delivers their order in the designated time frame.

“Western Beef is very excited to introduce Instacart’s same-day delivery service to all of our store locations,” a Western Beef spokesperson stated. “Instacart’s delivery service will offer fresh food options and convenience to all of Western Beef’s customers, including busy families and those that may have difficulty making it to the store themselves.”

Instacart said Western Beef customers shopping in its online marketplace will see the same prices as in-store. The delivery fee costs $3.99 for orders of $35 or more, and shoppers who enroll for Instacart Express — priced at $9.99 per month or an annual fee of $99 — can get unlimited, free delivery on all orders over $35. In support of the launch, Instacart is offering Western Beef customers free delivery on their first order of $35 or more using the code “INSTAWESTERN19” at checkout.

“We’re proud to partner with Western Beef to bring customers and communities in New York and New Jersey a new way to have fresh groceries and everyday essentials delivered to their door in as fast as an hour,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, vice President of Business Development for Instacart. “Together, Instacart and Western Beef are helping busy people and families save time and stock their kitchens with the groceries they need from a local retailer they love.”

Western Beef also provides online and mobile grocery shopping and delivery via its Western Beef Direct service. The Ridgewood, N.Y.-based chain is undergoing an aggressive expansion. Seven new stores are in the pipeline for 2019 and 2020 in New York City and there are three store remodels due for completion this year, including one in New York City, one on Long Island and one in Boca Raton, Fla.

In New York City’s five boroughs, Instacart delivers from over 30 retailers, including local grocery and foodservice retailers like Zabar’s, Fairway Market and Eataly, as well as national and regional grocery retailers like including Aldi, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco Wholesale and ShopRite. Last year, Instacart added 14 New York City-area food retailers to its online marketplace, including Food Dynasty, Urban Market, Waverly Gourmet Market, Gitto Farmer’s Market and Brooklyn Harvest.