Step into Sharkie’s, where our journey began in 2017 as a cozy take-out spot run solely by the owner. Over the years, we’ve grown into a bustling restaurant adorned with a welcoming dining room and lively bar. Our evolution from a modest shop to a beloved local haunt is fueled by our commitment to serving both locals and visitors alike. Whether you’re stopping by for a quick take-out order, stocking up on our famous frozen meatballs to enjoy at home, or settling in to savor our selection of exceptional local beers, Sharkie’s invites everyone to dine with us as part of our extended family. We are proud to be a LGBTQ+ safe space.

43 Tinker Street Woodstock, NY 12498

Tue – Thu, 11 am – 7 pm Fri – Sat, 11 am – 8 pm Sunday 11 am - 7 pm

Closed Mondays

(845)684-5436
Sharkiesmeatballs@gmail.com

After much reflection, I am putting this out in the world. Please take a moment to read. Thank you.

June 13 2024

As many of you know, Sharkie’s and I had a run in during the Pride weekend with hateful speech targeting me and my business.

This was difficult for me to deal with but the outpouring of support I received as a result was a true eye opener of how strong our community is and how much support exists. 

After much soul searching, I have realized there must be more that I can do.  I have lived my life as an out gay man.  Everyone who knows me knows who I am and what I stand for.  My business, on the other hand, has shied away from getting involved.  Now I realize this has been wrong.  I want to create a place of support and of safety for myself, my community and those who support us.  Therefore, starting now, Sharkie’s is an out and proud gay owned business that will continue to strive to do good for the people who support it.  Regardless of how you identify, Sharkie’s is that place where you can come in and feel seen.  Come and have your correct pronouns used, come and feel not alone.  Come when you need help, whatever help that may be.  If you just need someone to talk to, come in. If you are in danger, we will help you.  Everyone is welcome and all will be celebrated for who you are and how you live your life.

As I continue to figure this out, I will be hosting events for our community and its allies.  I will be sponsoring organizations and events that are focused on doing good for our friends and families.  I will do more!

For those of you out there who are feeling alone, lost, or questioning who you are, and for those of you who do not understand why I am doing this, here is my story.

Growing up, I always knew I was different.  From the earliest memories I have, I knew I was not like the other kids.  While I was raised in an incredibly supportive and loving family with amazing parents and brothers, I still layed in bed at night praying to whatever god existed to make me “normal”. I wanted to be like everyone else because I believed who I was was wrong and that something was wrong with me.  I recall sad moments as a child where I even thought how better things would be if I wasn’t around anymore. I came out when I was a young 16 year old.  I had the luxury of being able to do that with my family. Not everyone has that support. As an adult, even to this day, there still is a nagging fear in the back of my mind when I meet someone, that they will not accept me as gay, and so I hide it.  

I am doing this now, for all those kids out there, for all of those adults out there, for all of those individuals out there who have or have had similar feelings and want, no need a place to go to without having that fear of not being accepted.

I truly hope that everyone who is reading this, hears my voice and understands how the community I am in, while having made  huge progress, still has a lot of work to do to be accepted. 

Please stay tuned for more as I figure this all out.

With much love and appreciation for all of you,

Mark Rosenberg, Owner, Sharkie’s

Press

Chef and Owner, Mark Rosenberg, moved to Woodstock, NY in June of 2016.  After spending time in both NYC and SF, Mark was ready to rediscover himself and to focus on the more important aspects of his life.  Seeing the overwhelming positive energy of the town and all of the people wanting to visit, Mark started thinking of opening a small business himself. Fortunately, the timing was right, a small space was about to become vacant in the most ideal part of town. With no prior restaurant experience, yet having spent years developing meatball recipes for fun, he dove head first in learning all the ins and outs of opening a food establishment and after 3 months of hard work, the space was ready to open. On June 2nd 2017, Sharkie’s opened to the public in a former 300sq ft lingerie shop, and served its first meatball.

Sharkie’s had the honor of being featured on the front page of the Daily Freeman. A great article about the origins of Sharkie’s and a bit more about owner, Mark Rosenberg.

WOODSTOCK, N.Y. — As a kid growing up in Kent, Ohio, Mark Rosenberg had a habit of stinging others with his teeth.“When I was a little boy I used to bite people, really, really hard,” said Rosenberg, now a 44-year-old Woodstock dweller. Read more at https://www.dailyfreeman.com/news/local-news/meatballs-served-up-every-which-way-at-sharkie-s-in/article_1702646a-0fc2-11ea-b40d-0b0f43aeb5bf.html#1

Woodstock had its first ever Pride parade in June of 2024. During this time Sharkie’s faced a hateful backlash. Read the full article here from Hudson Valley 1.

Below is just the portion they wrote on Sharkie’s.

The outpouring of support following hate-filled comments about some cheeky Pride-Weekend specials gave one Woodstock eatery owner a new faith in humanity.

Sharkie’s Meatballs chef and owner Mark Rosenberg at 43 Tinker Street offered a basket of tiny wieners — nine mini beef and chicken hot dogs with a side of ketchup –for $4, or a tray of mini chicken and cheese tacos with roasted corn salsa for the same price.

Then the hateful comments came flooding in online.

“That night, I looked at our social-media accounts. One person was attacking ours as a ‘woke’ business who was supporting pride. So as a result of that, they were no longer going to support our business, and neither were any of their friends or family,” he said. “So I was like, Do you realize that I’m a gay business owner? And I’m not just a woke business supporting pride.”

Other commenters accused Sharkie’s of encouraging pedophiles to bring their children in to eat sexualized food.

Rosenberg said he blocked the comments that were negative and homophobic, but did not take down the post about the specials.

He did a post the next morning saying, “Hey, everybody, this is what’s happened. It’s a little hard for me as an individual to hear someone called me a pedophile, but I’m gonna let it go. I’m shaking it off. And this is good. This is all in good fun.”

Rosenberg got a call from a college friend in Massachusetts who had hadn’t spoken with him in 30 years. She offered to buy all the specials. Rosenberg declined, but the friend suggested she buy them and Sharkie’s give them away. He said yes,

“And then I did a post saying, Hey, everybody, this just happened. These are free until they’re sold out. And that got even more support because everybody’s like, This is love. This is what we’re supposed to be doing.”

The specials were given away, he said.

Rosenberg reported that he had “an amazing day” at the sire at 43 Tinker Street on Saturday, with people buying things just to show support. “It just kind of reminded me that there’s so many more of us that want to be supportive and show what good there is,” he said.

“There’s so many of us more than these few people who are just haters, and that’s what happened. It’s been a great couple of days. It’s been a great Pride weekend.”

During the 2017 Woodstock Film Festival, I had the distinct honor of being mentioned by Shep Gordon. It was the highlight of my year and truly a remarkable acknowledgment of what I am doing at Sharkie's. Thank you Shep for your most generous words and patronage during your visit. 

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