South London Chabad keeping Wimby fans happy

Chabad tennis barbeque at Wimbledon provides a kosher option for tennis spectators and raises funds.

By ALLON SINAI
LONDON – The new roof above Centre Court was not the only thing to debut at Wimbledon three years ago.
The Chabad tennis barbeque at Wimbledon first opened for business in 2008, and like the roof it is slowly finding its place at SW19.
Conceived and run by Rabbi Dovid Cohen, the food stand, which sells both hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as strawberries and (pareve) ice cream, is aimed to provide a kosher option for Wimbledon- goers while also hopefully raising money for the activities of Chabad of South London.
After operating from the driveway of the Cohens in the first year, the stand relocated next to “The Queue” at the All England Club for the last two championships and has been feeding the masses, whether Jewish or just plain hungry, ever since.
“We were new to the area and realized how close we were to the tennis so it seemed to be too good an opportunity to miss,” said Rabbi Cohen, who in the autumn of 2008 arrived in South London and began setting up Chabad activities in campuses.
“We are very pleased with how things are going. If we make any profit it goes into our outreach work with students on campus. Last year we held a small fundraiser to cover some of the costs, but hopefully we will make a bit of money this year and get some money back into the charity.”