Community Magazine November 2019

56 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Do you want to host a Shabbat dinner but are too busy with work and family responsibilities? Would you like to hold a large summer party in your home but can’t handle cooking for so many guests? Nicole Shamah is your go-to caterer who will make it happen! Nicole, a talented young woman in our community, created a niche catering business that allows Jersey shore families to host delicious home cooked meals and present them as their own. She also prepares traditional and customized menus for semahot and community events including seminars, luncheons, and fundraisers, to name a few. Nicole’s background I am honored to introduce you to Nicole and invite you to accompany me on Nicole’s journey from child and teenager to wife, mother, and entrepreneur. Nicole, daughter of Susan and David Abady, both of Sephardic descent, grew up in Oakhurst, NJ, with two brothers and a sister. Nicole recalls being studious and taking good notes, “I had neat handwriting and my classmates would always ask for help studying.” She started working at a young age, around 7th grade, taking care of young children in day camps and later moving on to lifeguard duty. “I always derived satisfaction from my jobs. I kept busy as I got older, always finding seasonal employment in clothing shops and as a window decorator, even as a newlywed.” During her high school years Nicole enjoying being involved in YMD, Young Magen David activities. “YMD was a safe venue for community teenagers,” Nicole recalls. After graduating Hillel High School, Nicole studied for a year at Hunter College and switched gears to become a Licensed Esthetician. She enrolled in Christine Valmy, an internationally recognized beauty and esthetics school, and received her certification. A few months later, after working in the beauty field, Nicole married her naseeb , Eddie Shamah, who is two years older than Nicole. They have six children and live in West Long Branch, NJ. Nicole describes herself as friendly, patient, easy-going, carefree, and organized. I also sensed a calmness and strength, exhibited in a very capable person who takes the curveballs that life throws at her in stride. She is passionate “definitely about family and then food” and views her children and business as her highest accomplishments. Overcoming Adversity In the first year of Nicole and Eddie’s marriage, they received the shocking news that Eddie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “We had no idea at the time what that would mean for our future. We always had strong religious values and faith and nothing held us back from having children.” Eddie did not start to feel the negative effects of MS until about ten years into their marriage, even though he had experienced some imbalance, numbness, and weakness before. He continued to run his own lawn maintenance business. Nicole was busy raising their young children and began her career as a caterer and foodie after her third child was born, 13 years ago. Nicole’s mom, Susan Abady, was in charge of the school lunch program at Hillel Yeshiva and Nicole started working with Susan at Hillel. Nicole shared that her job at Hillel snowballed into her own catering business. “I prepared the food for a YMD Seminar, cooked meals for hagim from my own home, and my customer base increased. I started cooking early for Passover first in my own kitchen, and then began to cook in kosher commercial kitchens.” Around five years after the MS symptoms kicked in, Eddie’s business began to slip away, and it was difficult for him to function on a daily basis. It was around that time, in 2013, that Nicole pushed hard to make her catering business a reality. Her mother resigned from her position at Hillel to help Nicole launch her business. Nicole rented a permanent storefront in Allenhurst, NJ (her dad found the perfect location), and Nicole’s Kitchen (NK) was born! Nicole’s Brand Nicole caters to all, but definitely is recognized for her outstanding Syrian traditional food, putting her own gourmet twist on the classic dishes. Not surprisingly, her 17-year-old daughter Nina enjoys cooking Syrian delicacies, taking out the Woman Woman to One on One with ELLEN GELLER KAMARAS “We take the work out of a home-cooked meal and enable our customers to serve it as their own.” Nicole Shamah Nicole Shamah, founder of Nicole’s Kitchen