Maya Jankelowitz

Maya Is A.OK

Feelings > Who's A.OK? > Maya Jankelowitz

In conversation with the magic-maker behind NYC's Jack's Wife Freda

First, An Introduction

A 25-year veteran of the NYC service industry, Maya Jankelowitz owns and operates the wildly successful NYC-based Jack's Wife Freda restaurants alongside her husband, Dean, where she serves up her signature Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with warm hospitality and always the best style.

With its five locations, Jack's Wife Freda has become a beloved NYC institution; a home-away-from-home for regulars and faraway visitors alike.

Our Backstory

My connection with Maya and Dean goes back to the early days of their restaurateur journey. I was a regular at Schiller's in the Lower East Side where Dean worked at the time.

Posted up in my favorite spot in the far corner of the bar, I'd sketch staff and patrons. One day, Dean approached me with a casual proposition: "If I ever open a restaurant, will you draw my logo?"

A few years later, the phone rang. It was Dean and Maya. The rest is NYC history.

Love, Alessandra

Maya's friend & founder of A.OK

Q+A

Can you introduce yourself and tell us what’s new with you? Can you introduce yourself and tell us what’s new with you?

our first cookbook

Hi! My name is Maya. I’m the co-owner of Jack's Wife Freda restaurants with my husband Dean. We are currently working on our second cookbook. We’re excited!

Overall, I have a strong feeling of entering or transitioning into a new chapter of life. I’m not 100% sure what that entails, but I have a sense of settling into newfound ease, which sometimes feels like a foreign territory.

There’s a lot of acceptance, self love, gratitude, a heart that keeps opening wider and an emphasis placed on trusting each step along the way.

Where are your favorite places to go in a normal week? Where are your favorite places to go in a normal week?

On the go with my husband Dean

Last year I started to dance with 5Rhythms all over New York City. It’s become my favorite activity that I do just for me. I also love having dinner with my family at Blue Ribbon Sushi on Sullivan st.

What's a ritual or creative practice that helps you reset and feel A.OK? What's a ritual or creative practice that helps you reset and feel A.OK?

Baking with my son, practicing Qi-gon with a best friend, walking my dog, sitting on a bench looking at the sky…

I’ve also been practicing self-massage using my magical wooden birdie tool to apply my favorite body oil. It’s pretty much a daily, whole body practice for me.

Overall, I find that as long as I slow down with intentionality, pretty much any practice can become a creative or grounding opportunity.

Shop it:

A.OK Botanical Body Oil (From $28)

The Bird Body Gua Sha ($28)

When or where do you feel most at ease? When or where do you feel most at ease?

When my heart space softens the noise of my mind and I can better hear the whispers of my soul. For me, it’s doing anything with creativity, whether pottery, drawing, dancing or an activity that engages my hands or body. Also, human connection.

Yes, definitely human connection!

Do you recall a time you didn’t feel A.OK? How did you move through it? Do you recall a time you didn’t feel A.OK? How did you move through it?

It’s been a year of ups & downs with lots of change. I guess that’s life, right? :)

I think once I started to accept and feel what I had been trying to avoid is when I learned it’s ok not to feel ok. Learning to meet stress with softness and let my thoughts and emotions come and go, rather than trying to control them helps move through the waves. It’s a daily practice!

Maya Recommends

I’m in love with this candle. I LOVE the scent; it's so loving and calming.

Even the packaging, with an original watercolor by my friend Alessandra, carries meaning. Knowing that it comes from the same hand that created our Jack's Wife Freda logo makes it all the more special.