Refresh Fruits Offers Beautiful Fruit Platters for Tu B’Shvat

By Yehudit Garmaise

    Lipa Salamon, the owner of Refresh Fruits, which is located at 5510 16th Ave., has many tricks to make his fruit platters for Tu B’shvat look extra-beautiful.

    First, he only uses fruit that is in perfect condition.

    “If any fruits are overripe, underripe, or bruised, I just dispose of it,” Mr. Salamon explained. “One bad piece of fruit ruins the look of the rest.”

     The second most important factor of perfect Tu B’Shvat platters is the even distribution of the fruits’ vibrant colors.

     “Our fruit platters are beautiful because of the way they are arranged,” said Mr. Salamon. “Since we work all day with these fruits, we have developed a good eye for how the fruits contrast with each other, and which fruits look the sharpest together. For instance, we generally would not put two fruits that have the same colors next to each other.”

    While all fruits are beautiful, exotic fruits have exceptionally vibrant colors, pointed out Mr. Salamon, who said with a smile, “We are professionals.”

     Refresh services all types of customers, Mr. Salamon said, such as creative people, who prefer to buy their fruits whole and then enjoy cutting and plating their fruits at home, themselves. Mr. Salamon also sees customers who might be described as practical, or maybe just busy people, who prefer to let Refresh do the work. For the no-nonsense customers, Refresh kindly offers fruit platters and other foods, such as salads and smoothies that are ready-to-serve.

     To make ordering easier for every type of customer, Refresh has considerably simplified ordering by launching its new website at refreshfruits.com.

     In addition, customers can text, WhatsApp, and e-mail their orders. Delivery is available anywhere in Boro Park, Flatbush, Monsey, Williamsburg and many other neighborhoods that can be checked on Refresh’s website.

     In addition to ordering beautiful fruit plates for their own Tu B’Shvat tables, many customers give the platters as gifts, to which they can attach notes. Mr. Salamon said that wives, business partners, teachers, and shviggers are typical recipients of his special fruit platters that can be made with either fresh or dehydrated fruit.

    Not just for Tu B’Shvat, but year-round, Refresh is known for its wide variety of unusual fresh fruits, such as cotton candy grapes, passion fruit, jumbo blueberries, and special mondo oranges that are only available in January and February, although customers ask for them throughout the year.

   While many fruit-lovers are familiar with blood oranges, which are oranges that feature dark red fruit inside, Refresh stocks yellow apples that similarly surprise eaters with fruit that is pink and not white inside.

    Mr. Salamon shared that providing his customers with unexpected fruit colors and flavors gives him a lot of joy.

    “Customers love to open up fruits to find something fun and surprising inside,” said Mr. Salamon, who added that while customers love the magic of unusual color combinations, the fruits’ delicious and fresh flavors are what keeps them coming back.

    Although Refresh prides itself on the huge variety of quality fruits the store stocks throughout the year, to prepare for Tu B’Shavat, Mr. Salamon has been particularly busy getting ready to wow his customers.

     "Two months ago, I started shopping and meeting with farmers and distributors to ensure that I have both the highest grades and the biggest variety of fruit in time for Tu B’Shvat," said Mr. Salamon.

    One special fruit that Refresh has imported from South America, for instance, is feijoa, which is so hard to get, it has only been available for one Tu B’Shvat in the last five.

     To eat feijoa, customers cut it in half and then scoop out the creamy white fruit inside, which tastes like a fragrant combination of strawberries, guava, and pineapple.

   In fact, Mr. Salamon was so intent on bringing in feijoa for his customers that he imported them two months ago, kept them at the right temperatures, and carefully took care of them, so that they would be perfectly ripe and ready to eat this week.

    Because Tu B’Shvat will be here on Wednesday night, Mr. Salamon advised his customers to order their fruit in advance on the website, if they can.

   “Fruit platters can only be guaranteed for those who order in advance,” Mr. Salamon said. “I won’t turn down anyone who comes into the store, but customers who don’t pre-order their fruit platters might not have such a large variety, and I don’t want them to be disappointed to get only whatever we have left.”

   Fruit-lovers, however, should not worry about not finding what they want at Refresh because every year, Mr. Salamon assured, he brings in the biggest variety of produce possible.

    “Any types of fruit that are available, I try to bring in, just because I want to give my customers the largest selection” he says. “People can shop by color or by taste. Whoever wants to have the most beautiful Tu B’Shvat table should stop by our store where everything is perfectly ripe, on display, and ready to go.”

To order: https://refreshfruits.com/#!/hb/c/4873-0/he/borough-park/Tu-Bshvat-Section

Photos By: Issac Y.