Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 30, 2010 under New Product Showcase | 
Amy’s, the all-natural and organic food company with a comprehensive line of organic and completely natural wraps, entrees, and pizzas, has branched out into the snack category, allowing those who have their cake and want to eat it too feel better about the fact that only all-natural and organic ingredients are used. Amy’s Organic Cakes, in Chocolate, Lemon Poppy Seed and Orange, is available in regular or gluten-free versions and can be found in the freezer aisle of major supermarkets. Let defrost for a couple of hours for a cool and moist treat, or heat up for a few minutes under a broiler or briefly in the microwave for a warm slice of cake that tastes freshly-baked. Made with no trans-fat and no added MSG or preservatives, and dairy and gluten-free, the cakes are certified kosher under the Ner Tamid K. For more information on product and purchase information, visit Amy’s.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 28, 2010 under Rosh Hashana, Sixth Sense |
By Menachem Lubinsky
With the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) only weeks away, the Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty was already publicizing an extensive list of distribution points for holiday food for the Jewish poor, which only seems to increase with the ongoing recession. A prominent Jewish community leader was concerned that increased prices for the holiday food would also wreak havoc for those with large families and others suffering from a job loss or simply from an inability to cope with such prices. I reached out to many retailers who assured me that despite being forced to pay higher wholesale prices, they would make every effort to “hold the line.” One bakery told me that he was paying much higher prices for wheat than he did a year ago as a result of the increase in commodity prices but “would pretty much keep his prices the same.”
Typically, I hear these concerns on the eve of Passover, but this year it is very telling that the concern is so strong on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. I suspect that retailers know the true state of many of their customers better than anyone. They are aware of customers whose fortunes have turned or may have had a life-changing event in their family life. It is a time of year where there is an increase in charitable giving, compassion and understanding, which would suggest that this would not be lost on the retailers.
Many in the kosher industry tell me that “wise shoppers” will find a host of special and reduced prices, albeit that it may take a bit of organization and travel to come up with a package of good pricing.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 27, 2010 under Kosher Market |
Copenhagen…by Menachem Lubinsky…Although Denmark is not a particularly leading European destination, you wouldn’t know it from the crowds the Chabad of Copenhagen draws on a typical Shabbat in the summer for some real homemade kosher meals. Rabbi Yitzi Lowenthal and wife Rochel were hosts to some 220 people, nearly 150 waiting to embark on a kosher cruise on Sunday. The cruise crowd was served in a large dining room and courtyard on the main level while other guests enjoyed good Shabbos food and traditional songs on the upper floor. Rabbi Lowenthal says that the Shabbat meals often attract many notables. On this particularly Shabbat, it included Jewish Week publisher Gary Rosenblatt and his wife. Nearby, the small Orthodox Machzikei Hadas Synagogue also welcomes some of the visitors as does the Great Synangogue, under Chief Rabbi Brent Lexner, about a mile from the Chabad center. Rabbi Lexner certifies an impressive number of food establishments in the country assisted by Mr. Gershwald, a producer of gourmet Havarati kosher cheese. Although the community does offer some kosher food for sale, Gershwald often travels 10 hours to Antwerp to fill up his car with kosher goodies. The country is said to include about 8,000 Jews including some more recent Russian émigrés, but the number of people who eat kosher is relatively small. Still the main synagogue averages about 150 people on a typical Shabbat and makes arrangements to sell kosher food.
In other countries on the Baltic Sea, kosher is available but sparingly. In Tallinn, Estonia, kosher food is available in the main synagogue. Few of the estimated 2500 Jews who live there eat kosher but the synagogue has attracted many tourists in recent years. In Helsinki, Finland, a small kosher deli is situated right near the main synagogue. Tourists often load up on the few Israeli goodies that are on sale, including chocolate covered pretzels and halvah. In a remarkable story of accommodation, a new Radisson Hotel built right in front of the synagogue was built in two wings with a ground level bridge so that the dome of the shul can be seen from far. Stockholm too has its share of kosher food, again associated with the Jewish community center in the city. In St. Petersburg, Russia, there are some choices that include the Le’Chaim Restaurant in the Choral Synagogue. Manager Alex says that the summer has been good for business. On this summer day, LeChaim served more than 250 meals with homemade chicken and potatoes, a basic staple on the menu. He has also been called on to do a “growing number of catering jobs.” The new Shalom Restaurant is also a key attraction for many tourists who visit the beautiful city. Chief Rabbi of St. Petersburg Menachem Mendel Pewzner also certifies a growing number of plants with many of the products slated for export.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 26, 2010 under Kosher Market |
Tel Aviv…Greece is emerging as a growing market for Israeli foods, particularly in light of the improved relationship between the two countries after the flotilla fallout with Turkey. Israeli ready-meals company Hamim VeTaim and Greek food distributor Veropoulos have signed the first ever food-distribution deal between and Israeli and a Greek food companies, Mazon reported. According to the website, Veropoulos will import a line of Hamim VeTaim ready-meals specifically formulated for the Greek market. The initial order is for €50,000, and Hamim VeTaim estimates orders will come to hundreds of thousands of Euros annually. Trade between Israel and Greece was estimated at under $500 million. Israeli food sources are hoping that Greece will emerge as a major client for Israeli foods in the years to come.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on under Top Kosher Chef |
Contest to Find Next Great Kosher Chef Launched
Brooklyn, NY…In the midst of a host of competitive reality shows searching for the next great chef comes a new contest catered to the next great kosher chef.
Created by the Center for the Kosher Culinary Arts (CKCA), “The Next Great Kosher Chef” contest is looking for amateur cooks who greatly desire breaking into the professional world of the kosher food-service business. The contest has people apply for one of three spots in the ultimate challenge; the winner of that challenge will receive a full scholarship to Winter 2010 professional training program in culinary arts at the school – a value of nearly $5,000 – and the title of The Next Great Kosher Chef. All the judges will be in-house CKCA instructors. Graduates of the Center’s culinary-training program have gone on to work in such prestigious kosher kitchens as Mike’s Italian Kitchen, The Purple Pear, Abigael’s on Broadway, Basil Restaurant, and many others. Applications are due by August 31st.Ten semi-finalists will be selected based on those submissions on September 15th , and will then go on to a qualifying round of personal interviews searching for great chef potential. From that pool, three finalists will be selected on November 15th to participate in the final competition, which will consist of a written exam and a series of innovative culinary challenges. The final competition will take place on December 12th. Many applications have already been received, including from Arizona, Florida, and the Tri-State area.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 25, 2010 under Kosher Market |
New York…by Tova Ross, Kosher Today Features Editor…In a further sign that kosher continues to be a fast-growing business throughout the country, many new kosher enterprises have recently made their way to smaller cities and lesser-known “kosher havens” across the US. In Brookline, Massachusetts kosher consumers won’t have to schlep to Boston anymore for quality kosher meat, thanks to Grape Leave Gourmet Glatt. The man behind the initiative, former businessman Morris Naggar, saw the need for a local source for glatt kosher meat in his community. Despite having no experience in the food business, Naggar is using his business acumen to open the first glatt kosher butchering shop in the neighborhood in five years. Besides for meat, prepared dishes, and cold cuts, the store will also carry organic and upscale imported foods, items that are difficult to find locally, at least in kosher versions. In Columbus, Ohio, those craving frozen yogurt now have a self-serve shop, Cuzzins Yogurt, to patronize and to choose from 50 flavor variations, including coconut, Hawaiian pineapple, and tart pomegranate raspberry. The yogurt, which comes in fat-free and sugar-free varieties, is gluten-free and certified kosher by the OU. In Stamford, Connecticut, Navaratna Vegetarian Indian Restaurant recently went kosher, thanks to the combined efforts of several community rabbis representing the Vaad Haskashrut of Fairfield County. Due to the vegetarian nature of the restaurant’s menu, koshering the equipment and future supervision is a relatively simple process. The kosher certification is welcome news to Stamford’s sizeable Orthodox Jewish community, which, despite several Orthodox shuls, a nearby Jewish day school, and a JCC, has relatively few kosher options to choose from. Vaad Hakashrut representative Rabbi Daniel Cohen, of Congregation Agudath Sholom, told Kosher Today: “The restaurant itself was interested in obtaining kosher certification, as it has worked with a kosher caterer previously and felt that going kosher was a wise business decision. They were very committed to working with the rabbis to ensure complete kashrus. There was also a lot of support among kosher consumers in the area.” Rabbi Cohen said the eatery went kosher a few days after Tisha B’Av, and there already has been a significant increase in business. He pointed to the increased presence of yom tov programs in Stamford-area hotels and Jewish commuters to Stamford who keep kosher as factors that have helped drive the increase, besides Stamford’s growing Orthodox community.
Kosher markets in Arizona just received shipment of the first batch of kosher cheese and cheese curds from Cheese of the Desert, the new kosher label of Arizona Cheese Co. Initial offerings include cheddar cheese curds, cheddar cheese and pizza cheese and more versions are hoped for, if consumer response is good enough. The kosher and cholov yisrael cheese products are under the supervision of Rabbis Dan Hayman and Dovid Cohen, local rabbis for Kehilla Kosher. On West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, there is a new organic and healthy deli, Savyon, serving soups, salads, paninis, and a variety of vegetarian dishes, such as quinoa cakes. The popular LA thoroughfare is home to a number of kosher grocery stores and restaurants. And colleges are also branching out to explore kosher options. The University of Colorado in Boulder’s new student dining area now offers a kosher eatery with a meat, vegetarian, and vegan-filled menu, due to the efforts of the campus Chabad rabbi, Yisroel Wilhelm. The new café, called “Kosher,” is run by chef Eddie Shapiro, who also serves as the mashgiach, and who operates from a completely kosher kitchen. Rabbi Wilhelm, who was working on this new venture for years, told Boulder Jewish News that two students will be attending the university this fall thanks to the new kosher option on campus.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on under Kosher Catering |
Copenhagen…As the executive chef of the five-star Dan Acadia in Herzliya, Ariel (“Arik”) Porat is already considered one of Israel’s leading kosher chefs. But earlier this month, Arik brought his mastery aboard the new Costa Deliziosa in a cruise to the Baltics, sponsored by Kosherica, a leader in the growing popularity of kosher cruises that include resident scholars and world-class entertainment. For the more than 200 vacationers (out of 2160 passengers), the 7-day cruise was also a week-long culinary experience, as it has been on many of the Kosherica cruises that featured Arik. Each evening, passengers in the elegant third floor hall dined on a five-course meal that included several choices of beef, poultry, and fish, much like those served in some of the finest hotels and restaurants. For Helit Edelstein of Kosherica, the logistical challenges of having a world-class chef of Porat’s reputation “is all part of the experience,” which on this particular cruise included Rabbi Stephen Riskin of Efrat and Cantor Yaakov Motzen. The “challenges” also included recruiting reputable kosher supervisors and, of course, acquiring the best meats, fish and other ingredients for the world-class chef. Ofi Fishman, Helit’s brother, and a key player in planning the menus, prides himself on the quality of the baked goods that is prepared on board as well as the quality natural and fresh ingredients. While their acclaimed culinary delights have become almost routine, they still are busy “educating” the ship’s staff and most importantly catering to the needs of a “very sophisticated clientele” that on this particular cruise came from as far away as Melbourne and from such places as Gibraltar, Tel Aviv, Montreal, Toronto, London, and New York. Kosher industry sources say that kosher cruising has increased by more than 20% in the past five years, despite the recession. While some travelers still prefer going on a cruise with the cruise ship providing “kosher airline-like meals,” the trend is towards joining the total kosher experience that companies like Kosherica offer. David Wallace of Eddie’s Travel, which partnered with Kosherica for the kosher cruises, sees a growing number of kosher travelers opting for organized kosher travel to many destinations throughout the world. He is already joining Kosherica for Sukkot programs at the Dan Caesarea and Hacienda Forest View hotels in Israel and for many winter cruises in the Caribbean. As the kosher passengers disembarked in Copenhagen after visits to Tallinn, Estonia, Helsinki, Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia and Stockholm, Sweden, the talk was about “the experience” which meant the Kosherica program and, of course, the food of Arik.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 24, 2010 under Kosher Gifts, Rosh Hashana |
New York…by Tova Ross, Kosher Today Features Editor…Gift-giving has become increasingly popular on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and the lead item is honey, not only those ubiquitous cute honey bear bottles, but more sophisticated and gourmet options. Good kosher wines are also a common staple in the ever-expanding holiday gift baskets. HoneyRun Winery based in Chico CA, produces a sophisticated non-sulfited wine from fruit and honey, and is kosher-certified by the OU. Honeywine flavors include Blackberry, Cranberry, Elderberry, Cherry, and Dry Mead. Savannah Bee Company Grill Honey is a wonderful present for any chef, from the amateur or professional. Formulated specifically to bring a distinctive honey flavor to be a perfect pairing to grilled foods, this honey can serve as a marinade, basting or brush-on condiment to grilled veggies, meat, and fish to add a crisp caramelizing factor and honey flavor to barbecue favorites. The product, hand-harvested at the peak of honey season, is KSA kosher certified. Sandt’s pure buckwheat honey, Grade A natural and unfiltered, is another option. More full-bodied and dark than typical mass-produced grocery store honeys, buckwheat honey is richer in iron and several antioxidant compounds than its lighter and mass-produced counterparts. Buckwheat is the strongest and darkest of all honey varieties. WeeBee Honey, produced on a small family farm split between New York and Florida, is an unadulterated and 100 percent natural raw version of honey that results in a nutritionally beneficial product, rather than a mere sweetener. WeeBee uses bees located strictly in wild locations in both states, thus producing a wildflower honey coming from wild plants, trees and grasses. Since it is unfiltered and unstrained, the honey retains all the beneficial properties that are often missing from conventional honeys, such as pollen, propolis, and honeycomb. The crop is tested every year for pesticides with a USDA lab, ensuring a pesticide-free product. Company spokeswoman Anna Almeter said, “Being a small family farm affords us the opportunity to have quality and control over our colonies and our honey. We raise our bees organically, never using chemicals or pesticides on or near our bees. The taste and aroma is a sweet wonderful mix of wildflowers with a smooth texture.” WeeBee Honey is certified kosher by the OU. Other honey-related gifts for the yomim tovim include a large selection from innovative candy purveyors Oh, Nuts, and include a honey-filled candlestick, violin or guitar-shaped honey bottles for music lovers, Jelly Belly honey beans in an adorable honeycomb-shaped jar, and baked goods like teiglach (small pastries boiled in a honey syrup) and honey cake.
For a wider variety of delicious baked goods, Challah Connection has challahs, apple and honey cakes, and rugelach. Other Rosh Hashanah-themed treats from the company include caramel-filled chocolate “apples,” organic honey-flavored hard candies, teabags with honey stirring ticks, and apple-pie flavored protein bars. Kosher Gift Baskets offer gourmet shofar-shaped cookies dipped in dark chocolate and glazed with rock candy crystals, a sterling silver lulav set, and a cornucopia centerpiece filled with dried fruit.
Packaged Facts estimates the overall market for gift-giving in the U.S. increased 7% from $113 billion in 2007 to $121 billion in 2009. Likewise, the total market for food gift-giving in the U.S. grew from $16 billion in 2007 to $18 billion in 2009, representing a 9% increase. Packaged Facts projects that healthy growth across all food gifting channels will propel the market past $21 billion by 2014. Kosher industry sources say that gift-giving n the kosher market ahs increased by nearly 15% in the past three years.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on under Kosher Stores |
Monsey, NY…Groceries around the country are increasingly sharing ideas of some of the most successful kosher programs in an effort to better serve their kosher clientele. Last week a management team from Jewel visited stores in the Metro New York/New Jersey area to see some of the “best practices” in kosher. Led by kosher expert Yakov Yarmove of SuperValu, the group visited amongst other stores Rockland Kosher, one of the nation’s largest and best designed kosher stores. Grocers from around the country have visited the store because of its spacious aisles and large selections of food categories that includes gourmet cheese, meat, and sushi. Rockland Kosher has become a model of the new “kosher superstore” that now exists in many large Jewish neighborhoods. Jewel’s is preparing to reopen its flagship kosher store in Evanston, IL next month with many new additions to its kosher offerings.
Winn-Dixie Stores will help shoppers get the Jewish year 5771 off to a “delicious start” with cooking demonstrations and in-store sampling before Rosh Hashanah at select stores throughout South Florida. “These demonstrations not only allow shoppers to learn quick and easy recipes, but also provide them with an opportunity to sample and learn more about Winn-Dixie’s more than 1,000 kosher-certified corporate brand products,” noted Deborah Shapiro, specialty foods category manager at Jacksonville, Fla.-based Winn-Dixie. Culinary designer and author Chef Doris is starring in the live cooking demos, which will be carried out under the kosher supervision of Star-K and ORB. Among the recipes to be prepared are gefilte fish patties in tomato sauce and Israeli couscous with mushrooms.
With less than three weeks before Rosh Hashanah, some retailers have already begun their advertising in Jewish publications. Retailers are expecting a banner year despite the early start of Rosh Hashanah, largely because of three periods of “3-day holidays” (two days of the holiday plus one day of Shabbat) that fall in September and early October.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 23, 2010 under Kashrus Organization, Social Media |
Chicago…by Staff Reporters…Does plain roasted kasha require kosher certification? How about Sun dried tomatos without any flavors or added oil coatings, which usually are listed in the ingredients? These are some of the questions addressed to the rabbinic team at the Chicago Rabbinical Council via Twitter. According to Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, its Kashrus Administrator, social media is increasingly being used by the agency to transmit kashrus alerts and solicit subscriptions for their kashrus newsletter. Several rabbis involved in kashrus say that they “keep in touch” with many customers and even companies they supervise via Facebook. But social media is just at the early stages for the industry as a whole, industry sources say. Sam Davidowitz, the IT specialist at the Orthodox Union (OU), says that despite the agency’s comprehensive Web presence, there is still very little activity through social media. Rabbi Zechariah Senter of the Kof-K Kosher Certification agency said that most of the communications by consumers with the agency “is still through e-mail.” Many in the kosher industry believe that “it is only a matter of time” when social media plays more of a role in the growth of kosher. They say that there already is a network of “kosher foodies” that use social media extensively, even offering up-to the-minute alerts about specials in the neighborhood. Rabbi Fishbane believes that the kosher agencies should begin to promote social media like Twitter to expand their reach to the kosher market.
