kosher food

Original Article On The Jerusalem Post

These restaurants are not simply places for kosher travelers to fill their tanks with a quick falafel or a bad slice of pizza. These are high-quality establishments.

Walking the streets of Rome on a hot summer day and encountering a surprising number of kosher options in at least five neighborhoods, it is easier to understand the famous proverbs about Rome (“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”; “Rome wasn’t built in a day”; “All roads lead to Rome”; and “Fiddle while Rome burns”) than to make sense of why a city of only 20,000 Jews seems to have more kosher eateries than other world cities with substantially larger Jewish populations. Kosher burger restaurants, pizza parlors, gelato stores (okay, that one is obvious), and bakeries abound. 

And these restaurants are not simply places for kosher travelers to fill their tanks with a quick falafel or a bad slice of pizza. These are high-quality establishments where observant Jews can “in Rome, do what the Romans do.” They can sit in outdoor or indoor cafés or fine restaurants leisurely sipping coffee and eating pastries, pizza by the gram, handmade pasta, a large selection of meat, poultry, and fish and, of course, artichokes, a local favorite, prepared Jewish or Roman style.

Exploring the kosher culinary delights of Rome

As we set out on foot in the Piazza Bologna neighborhood in the northeast part of town, a 45-minute walk from the Trevi Fountain, we encountered more than half a dozen kosher dining options, food markets, and Judaica stores. Fonzie, the 1950s-style burger chain in four locations in the city, was closed on our 11 a.m. stroll. As they open from 12-3:30 p.m. and again from 7-11 p.m. each night, we would be back (fonzieburgers.com).

Flour Farina & Cucina on Via Padova 78 (flour-roma.com/) is the kosher bakery with perhaps the most user-friendly hours on the planet. They are open from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., offered just what we needed on our arrival day in Rome for a series of academic conferences, and would serve as the daily go-to place and ideal spot to purchase food to break our upcoming 17th of Tammuz fast. Other than a kosher certificate behind the register and one local family with many kids wearing kippot, Flour appeared to be just like any other Rome café – a large outdoor eating area and tables inside with a few customers eating pastries and drinking coffee at the counter (this is apparently a way to save a few euros). 

FLOUR FEATURES delicious pizza, breakfast dishes, coffees, and pastries. Great hours with indoor/outdoor dining. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

We were content to sample six different thin pizzas (with and without cheese – pesto, potato, mozzarella, and more) cut with shears, weighed on a scale on the counter, and quickly heated for our outdoor dining pleasure. The thinly sliced pizza was a perfect complement to our cappuccinos. We could have also chosen from a wide assortment of eggs (omelets, fried, poached, and “red” (shakshuka), as well as pancakes and chocolate, banana, and pine nuts that caught my attention, as did bagel scomposto (deconstructed bagel – with smoked salmon) and tagliolini (sea bass and lemon tagliolini, a type of ribbon pasta).

On subsequent daily visits to Flour – a convenient 12-minute walk from our Best Western Hotel – small sandwiches to go would be a life saver on long days exploring the city or sitting in a conference room. Carefully packed challot and an assortment of cookies purchased Thursday evening Italy time made it all the way back to the US for Shabbat dinner.

We returned to Fonzie, and it left us scratching our heads. How is it possible that Manhattan offers barely two or three burger joints, while Rome has a chain of four delicious, affordable restaurants with options for beef, chicken, or veggie burgers, along with crispy fries and onion rings? We chose the outdoor dining option, although the inside looked comfortable too. 

Talk about options! Burgers are available in four weight classes – 120, 150, 240, or 300 gr. Not sure where else in the world you can find a kosher chili beef bacon burger in the same restaurant as bagels with beef or chicken. For the less adventurous, chicken nuggets and wings are also on the menu. 

The next night, following a day of exploring old neighborhoods and touring the Coliseum, a night in the Jewish Ghetto was on our agenda. We wandered briefly in this historic district on the east bank of the Tiber River in Rione Sant’Angelo and sized up our many dining options. We decided on Renato al Ghetto, Cucina Giudaico Romanesca at Via del Portico d’Ottavia 5/16 (renatoalghetto.com/). Everyone advises travelers to sample as many artichokes as possible while in Rome. Carciofo alla giudia-artichoke (Jewish-style fried artichokes) at Renato ended up being the best of the three we sampled in as many days. The calamarata con pesto di basilico, pinoli e pomodorini confit (thick ring pasta with basil pesto, pine nuts, and confit cherry tomatoes); pollo con i peperoni (chicken with sweet pepper); and straccetti di manzo con rucola e pachino (strips of beef with rocket and cherry tomatoes), eaten at a relaxed outdoor restaurant pace, were delectable and left us wondering how we might prepare such dishes at home. 

The outdoor dining option allowed us to interact with – or tune out – nearby table mates. The Israeli one-year-old twins toddling on the cobblestones and their mom who visited our table proved irresistible. Their extended family of 30, in town from Elkana and Petah Tikva for a quick Sunday to Thursday trip, enjoyed a child-friendly grill and Israeli salads at the restaurant next to ours. 

We were not sure why the waiter handed us a paper bag at the start of the meal – then realized that each customer receives a similar bag and inside it is a soft bread. The section on the menu detailing 14 allergens was another nice touch. The restaurant offers a dine-in or takeaway option for Shabbat dinner and lunch: renatoalghetto.com/shabbat.

After one more day of touring in Rome, which included the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain – on a very hot day – we made our way to Marlene’s Gelateria for some much-needed cooling off. We opted for this dairy delight before another meat dinner. Anything chocolate, coffee, or pistachio in a cup or cone is highly recommended. After a bit of strolling in the Ghetto, we were ready for another relaxing outdoor dinner – this time at Su Ghetto by Ba Ghetto (baghetto.com/en/restaurants/sughetto-kosher-restaurant-rome/).

It was another night of tough choices. We went with dishes we are not likely to create at home. Our two appetizers included more artichokes, carciofo alla Giudia (Jewish artichokes) and alette di pollo laccate al miele con suGhetto harissa (honey-lacquered chicken wings with spicy harissa sauce), which were larger and more flavorful than those typically served at American bars to football viewing patrons. We strategically chose three entrees for two people with the idea that handmade ravioli – even cold – would serve as a great 4 a.m. pre-fast meal. 

The filetto di spigola in crosta di patate (sea bass fillet in potato crust), agnolotti al ragù (small pieces of flattened pasta with Bolognese sauce), and raviolone patate e tartufo saltato con pomodorini e basilica (big ravioli filled with potatoes and truffle in cherry tomatoes and basil sauce) exceeded our expectations and left our taste buds smiling. Su Ghetto also offers Shabbat dinner and lunch options, as well as cooking classes.

As we were finishing our meal, we watched a female patron in a bright pink dress briefly leave her table and her party of 15 or so at a nearby restaurant to photograph our restaurant and other ones nearby. We realized this semi-celebrity was BusyInBrooklyn, the cookbook writer, food blogger, and Instagram star Chanie Apfelbaum, leading a kosher-food tour of Italy.

OUR FEW days in Rome showed us that there is simply an abundance of kosher restaurants – especially in the Jewish Ghetto. Many have predictable names like Ba Ghetto Milky, Bellacarne, Caslino, La Polleria, and, of course, Bona Pizza and Daruma Sushi. 

Friends recommended Yotvata (yotata.it), a family-run dairy restaurant with fish, pasta, pizza, and, naturally, fried artichokes served in booths in the Ghetto. We will have to put this – as well as kosher restaurants in the Tevere, Monteverde, and Marconi neighborhoods – on our list for next time.

One member of our party attended a conference where the kind point person went overboard in ordering kosher food so that one individual would feel comfortable at an otherwise  non-kosher banquet. The conference organizers ordered an overabundance of tasty food from Bellacarne (bellacarne.it/en/food-menu-2023), which included tabbouleh, fried fish and salads, charcuterie, hummus and mushrooms, spaghetti and meatballs, and of course – an artichoke! The large green delivery bag was useful for taking food back to the hotel in a cab at the end of the evening.

The final taste of Italy came on my United flight from Rome to Newark, where I enjoyed a meal and a snack by Rustichelli Faenza. While the chicken and side dishes were tasty, the cardboard box with sayings from the Midrash, Talmud, A.D. Gordon, and Fran Lebowitz kept me smiling. ■

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original Article Published On The Jewish Times

Baltimore plays an important role in the American kosher-food landscape and is well-respected throughout the entire kosher world. According to Menachem Lubinsky, president and CEO of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting, publisher of Kosher Today and founder of Kosherfest — the trade show of the kosher-food industry, held this year from Nov. 8-9 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. “Baltimore is part of the trend of the expansion of independent kosher stores. They were the forerunners of the trend. It is a great concept,” he declared at this year’s trade show.

The first Kosherfest, held in 1989, featured 69 booths and 700 visitors. In 2019, the show had grown to nearly 400 booths and well over 7,000 visitors. This year’s event, which took place last month as trade shows across many industries slowly return to large venues following two years of the coronavirus pandemic, featured 325 exhibitors, more than 6,000 industry professionals and tighter-than-usual security both inside and outside the show, given the current nationwide rise in antisemitism.

Kosher-food industry professionals from across the United States and Canada, and around the world — including buyers, distributors, caterers, restaurant and store owners, summer-camp directors and nursing-home operators, and kosher-certifying agencies, as well as reporters, bloggers and Instagrammers — returned home from the two-day event with fresh tastes of new foods and beverages; knowledge of new equipment and appliances; and new contacts in the industry for potential future collaboration and business deals.

This year’s show felt more relaxed, spread out and a bit smaller compared to past years. The far end of the hall was unoccupied except for clearly marked “Mincha Rooms,” in addition to tables and chairs set up for attendees to catch their breath from hours spent walking the long aisles and to enjoy one more pastry, slice of pizza or soft-shell taco with imitation meat.

It also offered a new networking opportunity with a Happy Hour and selection of kosher cocktails. The New Product Competition, which usually happens prior to the show, took place at the actual show. Apron Masters Kitchen, a family-oriented cooking school located in Woodmere, N.Y., hosted the competition. The 2022 “Best in Show” winner was 7th Heaven Chocolate Snack Bars. California Delight Balsamic Vinegar by DS Tayman Traders, LLC, was voted best in the sauces, marinates and dressings category. (Other awardees can be viewed online at: kosherfest.com.)

Attendees sampled new items, old favorites and updated products including wine, honey, pizza, Korean sauces and hydroponic vegetables. Signs identified food as dairy, meat or pareve, and encouraged people not to shy away from meat, even if it would require the traditional three- to six-hour waiting period before eating dairy.

At the large Kosher’US booth, which looked more like an expanded rectangle, visitors could sample five different meat dishes, including hamburgers. One person who did not want to eat meat early in the day (and render himself unable to eat dairy for the rest of his time at the show) asked if everything was meat. “Yes, we are fleishig. Come back at the end!” A sign at David Elliot Poultry Farm, Inc., which boasted, “Over 75 years of making good chicken better,” offered free samples of chicken soup in a “to go” cup complete with a sippy top. A sign challenged visitors: “Chicken broth so good it’s worth getting
fleishig for.”

Snapshots and products at Kosherfest 2022, which took place on Nov. 8-9, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. (Photos by Howard Blas)

‘It’s a great opportunity to see people’

While the event felt at times like a family reunion (and a “Big Fat Kosher Wedding”) with people greeting old friends warmly, there were also business meetings and discussions taking place in various locations within the hall — from private VIP lounges for buyers to special tables and chairs near a company’s display booth. Kosher-certifying agencies from Australia, Canada, England and the United States were available for consultation. The Association of Kashrus Organizations held a special conference the day after Kosherfest at the new headquarters of the Orthodox Union at 40 Rector St. in New York City.

Star K director Avrom Pollak, who has both rabbinic ordination and a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology, comes to the show from Baltimore each year. “Although our roots are in Baltimore and we take care of all of the locals, we are an international organization and need to be here to meet contacts and other certifying agencies,” he said. “It is a great opportunity to see people we wouldn’t see regularly.”

Lubinsky, who still actively walked the trade-show floor at age 73, continues to keep a close watch on the international kosher-food industry and reports on trends annually at his “State of the Kosher Industry” address. He seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things kosher and firsthand intel about many communities in America and worldwide.

He shared additional observations about Baltimore: “Seven Mile Market and Seasons have done an incredible job of presenting kosher to the community.” He noted that large kosher-food markets have the space to showcase products so that customers can choose from many brands within a type of product.

At such stores, customers come for more than the purchasing of needed food items. “They are not only looking to shop. They are looking for an experience,” he stated.

Snapshots and products at Kosherfest 2022, which took place on Nov. 8-9, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. (Photos by Howard Blas)

Indoor vertical farms and an emphasis on healthy eating

A good number of items on display at this year’s Kosherfest may soon find their way to stores, restaurants and caterers around the country. One restaurant owner enjoyed sampling pareve chocolate from award-winner 7th Heaven Chocolate Snack Bars. He seemed to be imagining the peanut-butter-cream bar and caramelized coconut snack on the tables of his restaurant, eaten by customers after a fleishig meal.

Many products appealed to consumers in search of healthier foods, and foods geared for special dietary needs such as gluten-free and Keto. Two companies — AeroFarms of Newark, N.J., and Bowery Indoor Vertical Firms — grow greens indoors using no soil. AeroFarms’ spokesperson at the festival, Rachel Golian, described the recent “huge interest” in kosher-certified greens. “The Torah says no pigs just one time, but it speaks of not eating bugs four times!”

She added that “we are here to show kosher consumers that you can open and eat these greens without washing; it saves money and time!” AeroFarms’ products, including leafy greens and micro-greens, are available in Whole Foods at Mount Washington in Baltimore.

Bowery Farming, with headquarters in New York City, has plants in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nottingham, Md., outside of Baltimore. Elayne Dudley, vice president of new business development, and her team (notably pleased that their products are available in 1,400 grocery stores) related that they have partnered with Kayko for distribution, and that their leafy greens, herbs and strawberries grown indoors and without pesticides help address many issues facing the planet, including climate change and lack of arable land.

Snapshots and products at Kosherfest 2022, which took place on Nov. 8-9, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. (Photos by Howard Blas)

Other healthy goods included date products and nuts from Green Valley in Israel; honey from Pure Southern Honey in Du Pont, Ga.; and HoneyGramz from New York. Amber Kinsey, owner of Pure Southern Honey, was asked at a food show in San Francisco if her honey was kosher. Though not Jewish, the fourth-generation beekeeper researched kosher and became kosher-certified this past spring.

Ruth Harrigan, a beekeeper and owner of HoneyGramz, offered tastes of 100 pure and raw creamed honey infused with organic cacao and pomegranate. As she explained: “There is a new trend in the food industry of people adding flavors to olive oil, vinegar and honey.” Her creamed-chocolate pomegranate honey was the 2022 SOFI new product winner.

MM Mania displayed a handy little product called “Just One Cookie” — individually wrapped keto-friendly chocolate-chip, double-chocolate-chip and cinnamon-chip cookies — along with sugar-free biscotti. PAS Ability gave out samples of low-carb wheat wraps, as well as the somewhat less healthy but tasty heat-and-serve cinnamon buns and Noshkins chocolate mini-doughnuts. Kind Preferred, which offers bakery mixes for such dessert treats as chocolate pound cake and banana pudding, became pareve this year. Owner La Tonya King of Elkhart, Ind., declared: “I bring Southern comfort food to the Jewish world.”

Other items on display catered to diverse and special-interest audiences, including those seeking convenience, super-specialized products or simply good-tasting items. Rambam sparkling wines offers wine in a can (of Italy — two sweet and two dry), which are great for picnics or traveling, as well as for home. Sababa CBD provides four types of edible gummies to help with anxiety and stress.

Misaki Tanida of Fukushima, Japan, from Horaiya Honten Co. LTD displayed amazake, soy sauce koji and miso under the supervision of the London Beit Din.

“Not many Japanese products are certified kosher,” reported Tanida. “It is our first time here in this environment.”

Snapshots and products at Kosherfest 2022, which took place on Nov. 8-9, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. (Photos by Howard Blas)

Pamela Aflalo, CEO and founder of Nutty Bunny Delicious Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts, and her team offered samples of seven flavors of Nutty Bunny (DE-dairy equipment) treats and iced-tea flavors.

She started her company seven years ago when her daughter, now 18, grappled with allergies and needed to stop eating dairy. “She loved ice-cream, and I promised her we’d find an alternative,” recounted Aflalo.

Israel was represented at the show by many food and beverage items, and by the Government of Israel Economic Mission. Liraz Hayon, director of operations, said Israel has 49 missions that help companies grow in the United States.

Kosher magazines, Instagram and companies selling kosher vacation packages were all on hand. Kosher Karnivore Avigail Loloi, a kosher-food influencer with 60,000 Instagram followers, had a booth, noting “my husband and I love food. It started as a hobby!”

Elan Kornblum, publisher and president at Great Kosher Restaurants magazine, was there promoting a kosher tour to Mexico. He suggested that readers in Maryland follow the Great Kosher Restaurants Mid-Atlantic WhatsApp chats. Although he wasn’t able to offer any recommendations for dining in Baltimore (he said he hadn’t been to Charm City in quite a while), he got quiet for a moment, contemplating the idea before acknowledging: “I need to get back to Baltimore.”

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Original Article Published On The JP

The friendly, hard-working staff of PKS were deluged with customers on Monday, the first day of the tournament at Flushing Meadows in Queens, NY.

Tennis players can survive a five set match on bananas and Gatorade. Tennis fans, on the other hand, have a hard time spending the entire day at the US Open without proper food. Thanks to PKS (Prime Kosher Sports), tennis fans who observe Jewish dietary laws, and those of any religion who simply enjoy a hot knish, baked pretzel, hot dog, Italian sausage with peppers, a turkey wrap, a BBQ brisket or hot pastrami sandwich can walk over to the kosher cart in the food court.

The friendly, hard-working staff of PKS were deluged with customers on Monday, the first day of the tournament at Flushing Meadows in Queens, NY.

“The line was to the berry place!” reports Shlomo, referring to another specialty food stand 20 feet away, Oak Berry Acai Bowls.  “We ran out of many items including water hours ago – and we haven’t been restocked.”  Workers reached to the sign above the booth and covered up items temporarily out of stock, including most sandwich items.

“We just got more frozen peppers and onions and are back grilling sausages!”

What is a knish?

A City Harvest truck delivers pallets of kosher food to Masbia of Boro Park as part of their annual Passover Food Drive, April 11, 2022. (credit: Masbia/City Harvest/JTA)

A tall blond man looked up at the menu and asked, “What is a knish?”

Shlomo immediately replied, “It is like a giant fat French fry.”

PKS is owned and managed by Michael Arje and David Rishity.  The pop-up kosher stand is under kosher supervision of the Kof-K  PKS also operates kosher stands at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets baseball team, and the Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils hockey team.  They also operate kosher restaurants in the Five Towns of Long Island and in New Jersey.

The owners stress that  “it’s all about quality and service” and want everyone “to enjoy tennis and kosher food.”

They add, “Everything is amazing!”

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Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post

The kosher world continues to grow and diversify

If your bubbe had been one of the 6,000 members of the kosher food industry to attend the recent Kosherfest trade show in Secaucus, New Jersey, she would have barely recognized a single product on display at the nearly 400 booths. Even staples such as gefilte fish and matza have been updated. Gefilte fish long ago moved from jars to loaves (including tricolor plain, salmon and dill). And Passover matzot are now available with pictures and logos, courtesy of 2017 New Product Award-Winner Matzohgram Printed Matzos.
Two long days of walking the eight long, crowded aisles of the Meadowlands Exposition Center provided a unique window into “kosher in action”: new products in search of distributors; store owners inquiring about case prices; kosher certifying agencies, ranging from Sydney to London, explaining the certification process (the OU even has literature available in Chinese!); caterers and restaurant owners looking for that one new item to add to their menus this year.

And there was the massive sampling. Perhaps the toughest decision for attendees was whether to keep to dairy or meat products on a given day, so as to avoid violating the kosher prohibition of mixing milk and meat.

Exciting kosher products on display included Jack’s Gourmet turkey bacon, GranolaChik granola, Mikee Indian and Korean Sauces and Marinades, FreshBox Farms hydroponically grown leafy greens, Westminster Bakers Co.

crackers (oyster crackers, Sriracha seasoned crackers, and more), La Pastilya Home Style Appetizers (parve Moroccan cigars, kubbeh, empanadas, and more), Asian Star surimi fish (for imitation scallops, shrimp, lobster and crab), Angelic Bakehouse bread crisps (7-grain with sea salt, for example), and Ron Hot Sauces for the Brave – best washed down with Pernstejn Beer from the Czech Republic, or some of the 22 wines from Kosher Winery Argentina.

Visitors are always pleased when booths give out tote bags for carrying giveaways such as pens, pads and packages of Sunrise Popcorn (seven flavors), Jelly Belly jelly beans (blue-and-white, Happy Hanukka packaging), Launch Energy bars, Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites (pistachios and blueberry infused cranberries with coconut) and Hayes Datiles (Medjool dates from Mexico).

Trends at Kosherfest 2017, organized by Lubicom Marketing Consulting since 1987, included an increase in organic, gluten-free and vegan products, a rise in convenience packaging and “on-the-go” products, and countries showing products from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France, India, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

Kosher goes data-driven Kosher is big business, and it is no longer driven by guesswork. Kosherfest kicks off each year with a breakfast and “state of the industry” address by Menachem Lubinsky, president & CEO of Lubicom Marketing Consulting.

“We used to guess who we were targeting – more or less. Now, in the new, digital age, we can find our customers!” he said. Companies are spending more to properly market their products.

Lubinsky went on to explain that kosher is a $12.5 billion industry with nearly 250,000 kosher products in the US.

“Almost all products that can be kosher are now kosher – the US is virtually a kosher country,” he said. Kosher products are now available in stores such as Costco, Target, Walmart and 7-Eleven. “It is not a favor to local rabbis to offer kosher products – kosher products sell!” “If you are an ingredient country in Thailand or anywhere, you are effectively ‘locked out’ if you are not kosher,” reports Lubinsky, who notes that 99 countries now produce kosher-certified products.

Yarden Horwitz, a trendspotting lead for Google, was a new addition this year, invited to deliver a keynote address titled “Using online food trend to develop and market winning products.” Horwitz suggested ways the kosher food industry can use data to better understand their customers and to market and sell products accordingly.

“We are sitting on a gold mine of data about what consumers are searching for, in over a billion searches a year,” she said.
Horwitz identified three main times of the year when consumers search for kosher products, and she pinpointed where they are searching from: April (pre-Passover), searching mainly from New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC; July and August, searching for kosher hot dogs (Nevada is the top search location); and November (Thanksgiving in the US), searching in large numbers from Florida. “We are always looking at risers [water is a riser, she noted] and decliners [e.g., juice], we are asking what is going to be the next Greek yogurt [French yogurt is showing promise], and we follow trends during the week [people tend to be focused more on healthy eating during weekdays and are more indulgent on weekends],” she said.

Israel at Kosherfest While long known for its agricultural exports, and more recently for wines, Israel exhibited a diverse range of products at Kosherfest. Lubinsky stressed Israel’s role as a leader in the worldwide kosher food industry.

“Israel is developing cutting-edge technologies and using new, innovative tools. For example, low sugar and low fat. Just eight or nine years ago, $150 million in kosher products was exported from Israel. Now, it is $246m.,” he said.

There are more than 1,700 plants in Israel that produce food, employing 64,000 workers. The five largest food companies are Osem, Strauss, Unilever, Tnuva and the Central Beverage Company. The export of wine and beverages to the US in 2016 was $32m., a 7% increase over 2015.

Benjamin Bauer, an importer of fine kosher wines, proudly showed wines from Hevron Heights Winery, including a $200 bottle of Ezekiel wine.

“People are looking to support Israel. They will take an Israeli wine over a French wine. And wines from Hebron were especially popular [a few weeks ago], when we read about it in the weekly Torah portion,” he said, pointing to a bottle of Makhpelah wine.

Debbie Smith, associate director of sales and marketing for Marzipan Bakeries, gave out samples of hot marzipan, well known in Jerusalem for 40 years, and available in the US for the past two years.

“So many people love marzipan so much!” she said.
Yonatan Gershon and daughter Keren, owners of Neptune Foods of Beersheba, displayed a wide range of sauces and spreads, including pesto za’atar, sweet harissa and sweet pepper spread. Yonatan’s father was a spice importer from India. He developed blends, and the company now produces sauces, spreads and rice mixes.

“We believe Israeli companies can succeed in America – if we have good items at a good price. The US is the best market for Israeli products, and we are not only selling to the Israeli and Jewish market.”

Mahdi Aralan of Almahdi Sweets came to Kosherfest from Nazareth. He has had a store in Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda market for two-and-a-half years. He proudly shows off beautiful, carefully packaged gift boxes of baklava.

“Our baklava has 7-12% less sugar than most other baklavas, and we make 100 pieces per kilo,” he said.

Others reportedly make 50 per kilo.

El Nakhleh Coffee of Shfaram proudly displayed ground roasted coffee, with and without cardamom, in capsules for use in Nespresso machines.

Toot Food Industries is a Migdal Ha’emek-based company with a strong social justice connection. The maker of hazelnut date snacks, chocolate-covered almonds and pecans, truffles and marshmallows was in danger of closing and laying off 60 Arab and Jewish workers. American businessman and real estate investor Jonathon Weiner and his wife, Ayelet, bought the factory, hired manager Moti Goldstein and invested in new machinery. They are developing healthier products, for the local market and for export.

Weiner would like to see more Israelis proudly buying made-in-Israel products over often cheaper products made in China and elsewhere.

Shelly’s Natural Best, a three-year-old Israeli company, sells two different products – tiger nut butters, and freeze-dried sprouted legumes (lentils, mung beans, chickpeas). The company aims to “define new standards of quality, taste, aroma and nutritional value for the health-food industry.”

Other Israeli companies at Kosherfest included Al Arz Tahini, Dough’s, Tenta Topgum Sweets, Maadaney Yehiam, Jerusalem Winery, Mahroum Sweets, Matzot Aviv, Bare Juices, Pri-Chen, and J&G Pecans. Bare was one of the winners of the New Product Competition.

The Israeli companies at Kosherfest all expressed appreciation to Carol Nave, manager of food and beverages in the Consumer Goods Division of the Israel Export Institute/Israel Economic Mission, for helping them get to this important show.

“We come to Kosherfest each year,” said Nave. “We have all the latest food trends to offer – gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, lean label.

“The kosher market is our natural market,” she continued. “We are also trying to penetrate the general market.”

The range of quality Israeli products at Kosherfest indicated she and her Israeli companies may be on the road to continued success.

A kosher export with an import twist If Barry Brucker has his way, he will import Aviv matzot and send them back to Israel – once he and his Matzohgram Printed Matzo company are done printing Stars of David, Seder plates and “Happy Passover” greetings on them.
Brucker wanted to do something nice for his synagogue Seder a few years ago. “We had printing equipment, since we are a printing company.”
People were so excited when they saw the matzot with pictures and writing. “People came out with napkins wrapping the matza to take home so it wouldn’t break!” he said.

He test-marketed the matza in Los Angeles delis, and it sold out in four days. “Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, had it on his table, and it was a hit. I have gotten similarly nice comments from other rabbis!” Brucker now hopes to introduce his matzot to the Israeli market.

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