Our Woman of Impact profile features a local woman making a notable impact in our community. For this issue, we spoke with West Hartford-native Debbie Raviv. Following her graduation from Syracuse University, Debbie worked in the fashion industry in both New York City and London. She then pivoted to a culinary career, studying at Paris’s Le Cordon Bleu before launching several restaurants in Connecticut with her Israeli-born husband, Khen. Together, they relocated to Israel for several years before returning to the United States and becoming managing partners of West Hartford’s beloved Crown Market in 2023. Debbie has served as a program coordinator with JTConnect and is an active supporter of Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy division. Debbie and Khen live in West Hartford, where they enjoy time with their three children: Troy, 18; Eden, 22; and Izzy, 23.
Tell us about your path to becoming one of The Crown Market’s managing partners.
My husband and I ran a food truck in downtown Hartford called Toasted for about ten years. Covid made it very difficult to operate, so we found ourselves at a crossroads and needed a transition. I grew up in West Hartford and used to come to The Crown as a kid—in fact, as an iconic kosher supermarket in Connecticut, it’s been part of my entire life. And in 2023, we heard that three business partners were taking The Crown over and were looking for additional partners who had a food and business background. Khen and I had already run three food businesses, and I’m a classically trained chef. I personally don’t think that’s necessary—my husband isn’t classically trained and is a phenomenal chef—but that’s the path I chose. The opportunity felt exciting: we wanted to elevate the food and catering elements, while honoring the classic parts of The Crown, keeping the recipes the same. So, we met with the partners and it immediately felt right.
This is your first kosher food business. Was that a challenge?
My husband is ba’al teshuva, so he’s fully kosher. Because of his Israeli upbringing, he knew a lot about kashrut and the many different hechsherim. I grew up in a traditional Jewish house, but not kosher, so there was a learning curve for me. Rabbi [Tuvia] Brander and Rabbi [Joseph] Gopin were so helpful in meeting with us and making sure we understood exactly what had to happen at The Crown and what the community needs. And I think we’ve really earned the community’s trust. For me, it’s very black and white—we never cut corners. You can come into our kitchen at any time of day and things will be just the way they need to be. I feel a huge amount of responsibility, not just to our partners who took a chance on us, but to the whole Jewish community.
My feeling is that this is more than a business; it’s a meeting place for people to gather, a hug to the community. We cater a lot of shivas, weddings, birthdays, and bar and bat mitzvahs, so The Crown is really part of the fabric of our community. It’s unusual these days to have a business that treats their customers like family, but that’s our goal.
How has your sense of Jewish identity evolved?
I grew up in a reformed Jewish household right here in West Hartford and had my bat mitzvah at Beth Israel. I was happy to be Jewish growing up, but I didn’t have an immense connection. At the time that I met my husband, I’d been to Israel just once when I was very young. Six months after we met, he took me to Israel to meet his family. When I stepped off the plane at Ben Gurion Airport, something awakened in me. I absolutely fell in love with Israel, to the point that I told my husband, “This is my place. I want to live here one day.”
Once our kids were born, we sent them to Solomon Schechter so they’d have a strong Jewish identity and be able to speak Hebrew. My husband was more Zionistic than I was at the time, but we still weren’t religious. We were traditional, but secular. Once a year, we’d go back to Israel and spend a month with Khen’s parents. I met all his friends and would become a part of the society. Every time I left, I was heartbroken. So, after many years, we closed Mediza, our restaurant at the time, and we made the move to Israel. I wanted our children to live in the country Khen is from and I wanted to make aliyah. It was an amazing experience. And although we eventually made the decision to move back, I came back with a newfound spirituality. I really reconnected with my Judaism in Israel and that has progressed. We observe Shabbat every Friday night and I go to Kiddush lunch on Saturdays whenever I can. Even when I’m traveling, I bring Shabbat candles with me now. I love holding those rituals, even though I consider myself more spiritual than religious. My closeness to my faith has only increased since October 7, which I know is true for a lot of people. In the face of such horrific acts, our pride in being Jewish was deepened. I wear my hostage tag and Jewish star every day, which I had never done before.
Considering the arc of your journey as a Jewish person, what have you learned that you’d like to share with others?
I’m in an unusual situation in that I’m not very religious, but I have a fully religious husband—and that’s not how our marriage started. However, my husband is part of the Chabad community and I’ve been so welcomed and consider them to be my people. The level of support they’ve shown me has been amazing, and I never feel judged by my level of observancy. So, I want people to know that you can have whatever relationship you want with G-d and with spirituality. No one is judging you—and if they are, they’re not your people. You only need to worry about what works for you and your family.
Am Yisrael Chai!