HOLMDEL, NJ – Holmdel native Jonathan Meyer has been in the fish business for over 25 years as a wholesaler and restauranteur, managing purchases under some of the leading names in the New York City restaurant scene. But after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Meyer returned to his New Jersey roots by handpicking restaurant-quality ingredients to families in Marlboro, Colts Neck, Freehold and Manalapan. Now, the entrepreneur is expanding into Holmdel, a familiar area for the fish industry veteran.
Under the name Jonny Fresh, Meyer provides made-to-order entrees and build-your-own meal kits made day-of. He says he hasn’t received a bad review yet, a product of the personalized touches, from the special requests via text to the follow-up calls to the face-to-face delivery.
“Honestly, every review I get is better than the next. People are loving everything,” Meyer said. “It just takes time when people see the prices and they don’t really know who I am. It’s just growing organically, slowly but surely. A lot of it is word of mouth or families – I have parents of customers who also became customers. It’s people in their 70s who went down to Florida and are asking me to FedEx the fish to them because they can’t get the same thing [there].”
Meyer’s parents built a house in the township around 1979, where Meyer lived and went to school until he went to attend college in Washington D.C a decade later. He also fondly called Holmdel his “second home” for a few years after his studies as well. After settling in Marlboro with his family in the 2000s, Meyer is ready to serve his hometown in 2020:
“When I was first starting my business, I started off really small. I didn’t want to go into Holmdel just yet because I didn’t want anything too crazy,” Meyer told Patch. “But given that the season is upon us, I figured that … since a lot of people aren’t ready or used to dining indoors, this is a great way to get restaurant-quality fish at home. If people are driven back to their home and you do want to get together for a holiday gathering, we can prepare ready-to-eat meals or cook-and-serve kits. All these categories, they work very well for entertaining small groups.”
Meyer tells Patch that he buys fresh fish locally nearly each day that his kitchen is open. In fact, he almost always buys specifically for every order placed via phone and text, with most of his product sourced from Point Pleasant. The Holmdel native credits his good reputation in the local industry for his ability to hand-pick each fish from trusted local connections.
“If you order by the night before, or by the same day, seven o’clock in the morning, it’s no issue, but you can order up until noon,” said Meyer. “And with most of the categories, I can pretty much make 80 to 90 percent of the menu on a given day.”
Previous coverage: Marlboro’s “JonnyFresh” Brings Virtual Seafood Market To Locals
The business owner runs his entire operation solo, save for some occasional help from a butcher during the bustling summer months. His son, Jacob, a senior at Marlboro High School and EMT, also assists with deliveries. However, everything from hand-selecting fish to menu curation to order placements to social media is up to the fish industry veteran.
“It’s manageable, I get up early every morning and prepare each order on a daily basis,” Meyer said. “You basically have to be a Swiss Army Knife to do what I’ve done. From making the cooking cards to the fish buying to sending email blasts to recipe testing to sweeping the kitchen: I’m doing everything and a jack of all trades. You really have to be resourceful and find the tools that you have.”
The last time Patch spoke to Meyer, the fish wholesaler and businessman stressed an uncertainty in one area: cooking.
“The scariest and hardest part is not being a professionally trained chef. It’s a little daunting to come up with the menu every week, because we rotate out a couple items on a weekly basis,” the Marlboro resident said in July.
Now, Meyer says his business has boosted his confidence as a chef: “The things I had less confidence in, like making the dishes, the reviews are so good, I have a lot of confidence now. I’ve learned so much about different flavors and how they work together, what things blend and what works and doesn’t work. The cooking is definitely what I’ve learned the most – it’s really been an adventure about what I think is great about the restaurant experience and making it my own.”
Now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Meyer says it’s as important as ever for emerging small businesses to persevere and trust the process.
“The most important thing is getting the best fish and getting the best quality piece of fish for people’s tables. Some weeks are better than others, but the reviews keep coming in and I know it’s just a matter of time before it really spreads like wildfire. We try to do the right thing every day, we make all the dishes to order and make it fabulous for the customers. It’s labor-intensive, but there’s no other way to do it to ensure freshness.”
Meyer is currently offering seasonal specialties such as Jumbo Stone Crab Claws, which he says he has direct connections on the west coast of Florida. Fan favorites such as the Lobster & Crab Rolls and the modestly-titled World’s Greatest Shrimp Cocktail can also be enjoyed year-round.
His words of advice: place your orders ahead of time before the holiday rush.
Orders can be placed online by visiting jonnyfreshnj.com or call/text at (646) 221-4051.
To view a PDF of the most recent menu, click here.
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This article originally appeared on the Holmdel-Hazlet Patch
