Bill Levine, who co-founded specialty food pioneer Sarabeth's Kitchen with his then-future wife, Sarabeth, 45 years ago, died September 7 at age 89. He had suffered multiple strokes beginning in January.
Bill Levine had focused on the financial and business aspects of Sarabeth's, long overseeing production, marketing, and sales, while Sarabeth focused on product development and the brand's aesthetic, said Charlie Apt, CEO of Sarabeth's Kitchen and Specialty Food Association Board Chairman.
“They divided and conquered together,” said Apt.
The Levines, who married in 1981, expanded their business holdings through the years to include the manufacture of specialty foods, including Sarabeth's Legendary Spreadable Fruit, along with a bakery and chain of restaurants operating in the U.S. and overseas. Their products were sold both to restaurants and through gourmet and specialty retail outlets, as well as direct to consumers online.
Bill Levine remained active at Sarabeth's Kitchen up until last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to stay home, said Apt. In recent years before that, he had been coming into the company's Bronx, New York, manufacturing and distribution facility to work on marketing and finance a few times a week.
“He was a great leader and a great person,” said Apt. “He was very generous and kind and warm. He had a smile on his face from morning until night.”
Levine had long been active in the Specialty Food Association and its predecessor, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, where he had served on the board of directors. He had also been involved in an association program providing mentorship to smaller member companies, and played an important role in helping the association grow, said Apt.
More than a dozen Sarabeth's Kitchen products, including jams, baked goods, and specialty CPG items, have won sofi Awards through the years.
The Specialty Food Association inducted both Bill and Sarabeth Levine as members of its inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2015.
“We are so saddened to lose such a legend of the specialty food industry and an SFA Hall of Famer,” said Bill Lynch, president of the SFA. “Bill has left behind such an incredible legacy, and all who knew him will miss him greatly.”
Sarabeth's Kitchen got its start in the Levines' apartment, where Sarabeth began making her “Legendary Spreadable Fruit” and selling it to a few local businesses. They opened a small bakery-kitchen in 1981 that became an instant hit with New Yorkers, and they followed with Sarabeth's (East) in 1983 and Sarabeth's (West) in 1986, offering breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.
More restaurants followed, including locations in Key West, Florida; in lower Manhattan, and near the Plaza Hotel on Central Park South, as well as Sarabeth's Bakery, a cafe and wholesale baking operation, in Chelsea Market. Licensed locations overseas include restaurants in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Dubai.
“Together Bill and Sarabeth worked tirelessly to create and lead a movement of natural, healthy, and specialty food available to consumers in restaurants and on grocery shelves alike,” Sarabeth's Kitchen said in a statement on its website. “Our family at Sarabeth's will never forget his warm and considerate demeanor and the twinkle in his eye. A day in the office with Bill was an opportunity to learn from and work with an exceptional human being.”
Related: 2015 Hall of Fame Winners;