Community Magazine May 2021

52 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Woman Woman to One on One with ELLEN GELLER KAMARAS “It makes me happy to see people being happy. I am passionate about family, learning Torah values, listening to good music, and giving my followers easy cooking tips.“ Kay Robyn Ashkenazi - Kay Robyn I was thrilled to interview food maven Kay Robyn Ashkenazi, née Mizrahi. Kay Robyn is easy-going, vivacious, and fun-loving. She is a people person and a family person. She has been crowned “the air-frying queen” and is known for her blog, @Kaysinthekitchen . A woman of many passions who is highly spiritual, she trusted me with her life story. The wheel came full circle when I met Kay Robyn. Family Connections Kay Robyn’s mother, Eileen Mizrahi, the creator of Treats by Eileen Gourmet Granola, was the second community woman I interviewed for the Woman to Woman column in 2017. Eileen is now a dear friend. Next to be interviewed was Kay Robyn’s cousin, June Aboksis, the founder of Junee, the leading provider of modest clothing for girls and women. Closely following June’s interview was my next candidate, Cindy Antebi, Kay Robyn’s sister, who was featured in September 2018. Scheduling my talk with Cindy, I did not realize that she was Eileen Mizrahi’s daughter. Cindy is the owner of Oakhurst’s iconic candy, toy, and stationery store, Sylvia’s Sweet and Stationery Shoppe. She is also an Executive Board member of The Tawil Family Jersey Shore Branch of Sephardic Bikur Holim. Gloria Bijou, the first woman I interviewed for Community , connected me with Cindy. Gloria and her husband Fred, along with Dr. Robert Matalon and his wife Barbara, founded SBH in 1973. SBH is the foundation of hesed and charity in our community. Let’s get back to Kay Robyn, a bubbly and caring woman who derives tremendous joy from making other people happy. As her followers and friends say, there is only one Kay Robyn. Growing Up As Kay Robyn told me about her childhood, I thought about what a beracha it is to have a lighthearted and spirited nature. Kay Robyn’s exuberance and positive energy can be traced to her roots and to her family role models. “My parents are warm and loving. They are the best and helped me get through life’s challenges.” Kay Robyn was born in Brooklyn to Eileen and Marty Mizrahi, both native New Yorkers of Syrian descent. Kay Robyn’s sister, Cindy, is two years older. The Mizrahis were one of the first families to move to Deal, when Kay Robyn was 18 months old, She studied at Hillel Yeshiva from kindergarten through high school. Kay Robyn is very close with her sister and knows she can always reach out to Cindy and her mother and father for whatever she needs. A spontaneous, friendly, and sincere child, Kay Robyn also described herself as a mediocre student but a great note taker. Her parents called her a “free spirit.” As a tomboy, Kay Robyn was athletic and excelled at sports, including tennis. Since her dad had no sons, it was Kaye Robyn who lovingly watched all the sports games with him. Tall for her age, Kaye Robyn was outgoing and loud, often accidentally putting her foot in her mouth. Cherishing her crew of childhood friends, Kay Robyn still meets up with them every summer in New Jersey. “As a tween and teen, I was a bit funky, very colorful, always had fashion style, and was ahead of the trends. I also loved music.” High School and On A fun fact: Kay Robyn did not know Robyn was her middle name until she applied for a learner’s permit to drive. “I always thought Kay Robyn was my first name. Kay was my maternal grandmother’s name and my dad liked the name Robyn.” After high school, Kay Robyn attended Brookdale Community College and studied communications, following her #1 goal to be on the radio. After college, she “tested the waters” and worked in marketing, advertising, and retail sales, searching for her sweet spot. Kay Robyn’s people skills and authentic friendliness enabled her to easily succeed in these jobs. “I am that person who talks to everyone, including the people on line at a supermarket or a bank.” Kay Robyn confessed that although she appears to be very confident, she is actually “strong but sensitive.” Before falling asleep at night, Kay Robyn plays back her day to see where she can better herself. A true empath, people tell her she would make a great psychotherapist. Both Kay Robyn and Cindy acquired their natural inclination towards kindness and hesed primarily from their mother. They learned about business from both of their parents. Then Comes Marriage While Kay Robyn was looking for the right job fit, she was fortunate to meet her naseeb, Shay Ashkenazi, a spiritual and modest Israeli man of Syrian descent. Kay Robyn expressed her immense hakarat hatov to Odette Rishty, Shay’s cousin Franny, and other community shadchanim , for making the match. Kay Robyn