City of Vaughan

Yosef Mokir Shabbos Sales floor

If you’re not familiar with the word “Shabbos” (also known as the Sabbath), it’s one of the core centrepieces of Jewish life; it’s a weekly day of rest, celebration and rejuvenation that lasts from sunset every Friday to nightfall the next day. On Shabbos, we wish loved ones “Shabbat shalom,” we light candles, we refrain from work and, perhaps of most importance for some families, we eat. What starts with a couple loaves of challah and ends with sweets is a meal not to be missed.

Moshe Wolfson founded Yosef Mokir Shabbos Co. in Israel in 2012 with the goal of providing everything families needed for Shabbos dinner — fresh, quality appetizers, main courses and dessert — in one place. When he immigrated to Thornhill in the spring of 2017, he opened up shop. “For me, my favourite Shabbat dish is our Moroccan fish with our fresh challah. I can’t go one Friday night without it,” he admits. “Taking part in a family meal is my joy, and the most pride I take in my work is the fact that families come to us to enjoy their time together.” Wolfson does more than cater Shabbos meals — he also prepares a huge selection of traditional ready-made dishes — from beef and fish to dips and side dishes — for Hanukkah, Passover and other gatherings, all approved to the highest kosher standards. “We take the food you remember as a child — it doesn’t matter how old you are — and make it better than how you remember your own mom making it. This is what gives our customers joy,” he says. “To have a customer call us and say, ‘You made it better than my own mother,’ gives us our stamp of approval that we are doing things right.” Of course, that doesn’t mean clients who aren’t Jewish aren’t welcome, it’s quite the contrary. “Diversity means the world to me and experiencing it in my entrepreneurial journey makes me stronger and better.”

Owner, Moshe Wolfson, preparing orders

Among the many accomplishments he sites, Wolfson is proud to carry more than 600 products in his shop, he’s received awards for hiring people who have disabilities, and it makes him happy that his business incorporates his religion, “bringing holiness into my day-to-day work.” He’s also proud of his participation in Vaughan’s My Main Street program, which he says helped him develop more efficiency into his day-to-day operations. “It also allowed us fund a piece for our label printer that helps me print about 1,500 labels a day—before we could only print a couple hundred. And we got a dishwasher, which has saved me having an employee spending all day washing dishes. He’s able to do much more now,” he explains, adding he also participated in the city’s Starter Company Plus program, thanks to representatives from the Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre.

Yosef Mokir Shabbos’ food selection

At this point in his journey—in both business and in Canada—Wolfson continues to learn new things each day, and he hopes to one day serve delicious kosher food across the country. In the meantime, he advises small business owners to check on the programs that are available in their areas. “There are always something that can help your business grow,” he says.

yosefmokirshabbos.com

1118 Centre Street, unit 21, Vaughan