Major Authors to Introduce New Kosher Cookbooks at Kosherfest

Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on October 18, 2010 under Kosherfest | View Comments

Secaucus, NJ…The popularity of kosher cookbooks is seen by experts as one of the major factors in the continued growth of kosher. At this year’s Kosherfest, which opens at the Meadowlands Exposition Center on October 26^th for two days, at least five new important kosher books on cooking kosher will be introduced and profiled. Noted author Gil Marks will introduce “The History of Jewish Food.” In a presentation at the show, Marks will cover some stories of the early days of kosher. Kosher supervision began in 1870 when, under the counsel of a Lithuanian rabbi, Israel Rokeach created kosher soap and later brought his soap to New York.  In 1923 the H. J. Heinz Company began offering a kosher pickle, and by the 1980s manufacturers were using kosher tanker trucks to haul oils and corn syrup for prepared foods which meant that almost any product could be easily converted to kosher.  After Entenmann’s placed its entire line of baked goods under kosher supervision, many other major American food manufacturers followed.  Joan Nathan’s who is a pioneer in melding Jewish culture with Jewish cooking is out with “Quiches, Kugels and Couscous, My Search for Jewish Cooking in France.” Ms. Nathan is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and other publications. She is the author of numerous books including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won the James Beard Award and the IACP Award. She was the host of the nationally syndicated PBS television series Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, based on the book.  Paula Shoyer’s “A New Era in Pareve Desserts: Introducing The Kosher Baker: 160 dairy-free desserts from traditional to trendy” is expected to be a big hit. Ms. Shoyer will be discussing her book at Kosherfest and explain why she wrote The Kosher Baker. She teaches classes in Jewish cooking and baking and French pastry in the Washington, DC area and around the United States.  She has appeared on NBC Washington’s “Quick Bites”, WGN Chicago’s “Lunchbreak,” Martha Stewart Living Radio and The Kosher Baker has been profiled in newspapers, magazines and websites from coast to coast. Suzie Fishbein, the award-winning author of the Kosher by Design series is out with her newest book “Kosher by Design: Teens and 20-Somethings. Susie’s wildly successful series has already sold over 400,000 copies worldwide and has led to hundreds of appearances by Susie from coast-to-coast and Canada. She has been the featured celebrity guest on cruise ships as well as at a week-long culinary adventure in the Galil in Israel. Profiled in the New York Times and on CNN, Susie has been named one of the 50 most influential Jews by the Forward.

Kosher in a Mainstream Show

Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on July 15, 2010 under Kosher Industry, Kosherfest | View Comments

By Menachem Lubinsky

The Summer Fancy Food Show last week at New York’s Javits Center was yet another opportunity to keep in touch with the many people I know in the food industry. In some ways, I found the show pretty much a mirror of the way I came to know the event nearly 25 years ago with some exceptions, of course. There were some distinct differences, particularly when it comes to kosher, yet another indication of the strides that kosher has made in just the last quarter of a century. The number of booths that touted their kosher symbol was unprecedented, as was the listing in the Directory (some 350 booths) under the “kosher” category and the sheer number of new products in the Focused Kosher Showcase. There were several booths from the larger kosher food companies that are at the center of Kosherfest but only another booth at the Fancy Food Show. But most impressive were the number of exhibitors and visitors who were clearly from the kosher community and the booths that posted their kosher certification.

Gil Marks, a close friend and author of several kosher cookbooks, pointed out some of the new trends that he witnessed at the show. On the verge of completing an unprecedented Encyclopedia on Jewish Food, Gil pointed to the many booths showcasing Greek Yogurt and the significant increase of natural and organic products. I noticed that “new” does not necessarily mean new, just tweaked. It might be the shape of a bottle for honey or olive oil or a fusion of flavors that was not classical. The blend of flavors was also very much apparent in the gourmet sauces. But then there were the traditional pastries, cheeses, confectionary and even gift baskets. You could always wash down the oodles of samples that were offered with a new flavored natural passion fruit drink. A buyer from a specialty store who recognized me from Kosherfest said: “This is huge and interesting but no show offers the buzz that Kosherfest does.”