Authenticity is Like Matzo Ball Soup for Your Business

In the heart of the business district of downtown Buffalo, New York, Risa Paonessa serves up all the comfort of her Italian Jewish heritage to professionals and tourists who are lucky enough to find her generously prepared signature corned beef sandwiches stacked between Jewish rye and nestled into the first floor of a modern mid-rise office building that houses bankers and engineers.

Risa’s Deli, Restaurant & Catering has served classic New York deli food for nearly four decades. She carries on the tradition started by her dad, Anthony Gengo. “Stumpy,” as he was known by his loyal customers in his neighborhood restaurant, fed New Yorkers for more than half a century.

Risa’s family recipes include matzo ball soup – a memorable, hearty and delicious chicken soup featuring a large, amazing dumpling – and other Jewish deli favorites that make you feel like you are stopping in to visit your favorite great aunt, who insists you look pale and why don’t you sit down already and have a little something instead of being in such a hurry all the time?

On her feet and in the kitchen five days a week, with all the care and concern of a Jewish grandmother –which she is, by the way – Risa pours love into every Kosher beef salami sandwich, every knish and every matzo ball she serves, which is a lot of love. And you can taste it!

Risa also is likely to come out to check on you with comments like, “You haven’t finished your food!” And it’s all that steaming hot authenticity right in front of you that makes you believe without a doubt that you are going to love your soup, the same way that New Yorkers love this deli.

Author Mark Silver serves a healthy portion of authenticity advice in his new book, “Heart Centered Business: Healing from Toxic Business Culture so Your Small Business Can Thrive.”

His core belief is that “Every act of business can be an act of love.” He suggests that businesspeople reflect on how they are expressing love and care through their business.

“We can find the nourishment for our businesses and ourselves where we are, right now,” he writes. “We can find the marketing and business practices that feel beautiful and feel nourishing in and of themselves… so we don’t feel we have to sell our soul or do something that feels wrong to deliver a product or service or teaching or content that is quite beautiful

DELIVERING PERSONALIZED CARE IN YOUR COMMUNITY and comes from inspiration.”

Silver teaches that serving up authenticity leaves a good taste in the mouths of our customers. Risa demonstrates that serving people, rather than selling people, is the matzo ball of a heart-centered business. FBN

Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@ gmail.com.

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