Bellmore's Tavlin market opening in Greenvale
Basbousa, semolina-coconut cake, at Tavlin Mediterranean market in Bellmore. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
After more than 30 years on the South Shore, Tavlin is heading north. The owners of Bellmore’s beloved kosher Mediterranean market have signed a lease on a spot in Greenvale, taking over a former day spa in the same little shopping center as Centro Cucina.
Partner Ittai Azoulay said the decision was a natural one. "We have a lot of customers coming here from the North Shore," he said. "And they encouraged me to do what I have been wanting to do — grow the business." He noted that, for the last year, Tavlin has been running a Friday market at the Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills.
Bellmore's Tavlin market is taking over the old White Lotus Spa in Greenvale. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Ittai’s father, Moroccan-born Marc Azoulay, landed on the South Shore after a childhood in France and a stint in Israel, where he met his future wife, Sarah, on a kibbutz. They married and settled on Long Island, where Sarah grew up. From its founding in 1992, Tavlin ("spice" in Hebrew) had two culinary pillars: imported delicacies and homemade vegetarian cuisine. There’s nowhere on Long Island with a better selection of nuts, seeds and dried fruits. There’s oregano and mountain tea from Greece, basmati rice and chutney from India, dried mint and cracked olives from Lebanon. The refrigerated cases sparkle with jewel-toned salads and dips: emerald tabbouleh, ruby pickled turnips, citrine turmeric cauliflower and rich eggplant salads as well as foil trays of vegetable couscous, roasted cauliflower with fava beans, shakshuka (eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce) and more dishes that just need to be reheated to make a meal.
The olive-and-pickle bar at Tavlin Mediterranean market in Bellmore. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Ittai, a trained chef, came aboard in 2015 and expanded the ready-to-eat takeout options (including some of Long Island’s best falafel). In 2024, he and his wife, Laura Lorand, took on even more responsibility, presiding over a renovation and widening the range of baked goods. The operation had always been 100% vegetarian but Ittai recently introduced shawarma (beef and chicken), Moroccan cigars, kibbe and beef empanadas to sit alongside Tavlin’s superb borekas. The shift to meat necessitated kosher supervision, which is now provided by Rabbi Josh Dorsch, of the Merrick Jewish Center.
The Greenvale location will have the same product mix as Bellmore, plus about a dozen seats. Transforming the former White Lotus Spa into a food-service establishment is no simple task, but Ittai is hoping to open this fall.
