The emotional davening… the informative workshops and panel discussions… the inspiring lectures… the lively entertainment…the sense of warmth and achdus… and, of course, the spectacular food – the many memorable aspects of a recent Shabbos retreat sponsored by the internationally acclaimed infertility organization, A T.I.M.E., and catered by Pomegranate left participants wondering what to rave about first.

One of the hundreds of “thank you” e-mails that went out to event organizers after the weekend summed it up well:

“Monday afternoon and I’m still floating… I feel like I’m coming from a different planet… A planet where there are NO worries and NO problem [and] where everyone understands each other with unspoken words.”

Nor were the amazing gashmius elements of the retreat lost on this appreciative participant.

“…The food? Each course was so artfully presented… it was almost a pity to dig my fork into it and mess it up….. I walked out of there a few pounds heavier, but definitely with a lighter heart!”

All the food was prepared and donated by Pomegranate – the upscale food market known not only for its outstanding gourmet and heimish cuisine, but also for its commitment to “giving back” to the community by actively supporting worthy charitable causes and chesed institutions. The store’s founder and proprietor, Abraham Banda, joined the A T.I.M.E couples for Shabbos.

According to participants, the endless stream of gastronomic delights provided by Pomegranate was “awesome” even for a store that specializes in awesome. The party got started on Friday afternoon, when guests were welcomed with a hospitality table laden with sliced fruits and vegetables, salads, dips, cholent, kishka, p’tcha and four different kinds of kugel. At a nearby carving station, waiters served up succulent slices of pastrami brisket and honey mustard corned beef.

With the first bite of challah — enjoyed with no fewer than 20 different Pomegranate signature dips — it was clear that the Friday night meal would be amazing as well. The phrase “tastes like the freshest homemade” was heard over and over again, as guests settled down to a meal of melt-in-your- mouth salmon fillet and gefilte fish, steaming hot chicken soup with flanken and matzoh balls (“better than my wife’s,” whispered one brave man), and rolled brisket with a side of potato kugel and farfel.

At the oneg following the seudah, the already overstuffed guests couldn’t resist indulging in a wide variety of delectable desserts, candies, chocolates, nuts — not to mention chulent, kishka, yaptzig and ice cold beer with which to wash it all down.

Judged the “culinary highlight” of the Shabbos by many of the A T.I.M.E.R.’s, the Kiddush after shachris featured so wide a variety of delicious and magnificently presented food, it felt, in the words of one young woman, “like an upscale party at the Hilton.” From carved meats to kishke to p’tcha, to cholent to kugel to no fewer than 12 different kinds of Pomegranate-produced herring (including the store’s newest attraction, wasabi herring) — the Kiddush blew away everyone’s conception of Shabbos catering.

On from the Kiddush to lunch (the delectable teriyaki salmon fillet and liver sauté were particular favorites); a Shalosh Seudos featuring many different kinds of fish; and a festive melave malka, which boasted no fewer than five separate dairy food stations.

The feasting finally drew to an end on Sunday morning, with a delicious breakfast that included a full selection of bagels, crackers and artisanal breads; an array of smoked fish; omelets, waffles and more.

“Not a single detail was overlooked, not a dish was missing,” one astounded guest told Pomegranate founder and proprietor Abraham Banda, who joined the A T.I.M.E couples for the weekend. “This event will definitely go down in the history books as having set a whole new standard in Shabbos catering.”

“This was not the first time, Mr. Banda sponsored the meals for one of our retreats,” observed A T.I.M.E founder and president Rabbi Shauli Rosen. “But this year he really kicked it up more than a few notches — not only supplying the delicious and beautifully presented gourmet food but getting involved in anything and everything that would enhance the group’s comfort and enjoyment. He totally exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

As for Mr. Banda, he says he gains far more from spending a Shabbos with A T.I.M.E couples then they do from his donated food.

“At the retreat, more than one couple shared with me the fact that they never feel completely comfortable at a wedding or Bar Mitzvah — or any simcha that revolves around children and families. But when they come here to spend a Shabbos with other couples who understand exactly what they are going through, they feel they can let down their guard and really enjoy themselves. This beautiful event, organized just for them, is their simcha, they told me.

“I feel privileged to have been a part of it, to have shared in 163 simchas.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)