Kosherfest

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 in the Jerusalem Post

There was something for everybody as Kosherfest returns after a pandemic-induced break.

NEW YORK — Kosherfest, the trade show of the kosher food industry, returned to its longtime home at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, after being put on hold last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The two-day gathering, held in a large exhibition space just six miles from Manhattan’s Times Square, brings together the various important players in the kosher food industry, including food and beverage manufacturers of all sizes and numbers of years in business, store owners, caterers, restaurant owners, providers of kosher travel packages, chefs, labeling, packaging and shipping companies, food writers and bloggers and others.

Attendees all shared an interest in sampling new and classic food and beverage offerings, made potentially beneficial and profitable business connections, and accumulated as many free samples as possible — food samples, pens and tote bags.

Kosherfest 2021 offered a glimpse of what a major trade show could look like as the world slowly comes out of the restrictions of the pandemic. A food show with edibles to sample would need to adhere to a high standard of safety.

Signs at the entrance noted “Face Masks Strongly Recommended” regardless of vaccination status, and also offered “sampling guidelines,” assuring attendees that “Kosherfest exhibitors are prioritizing health and safety by following these basic food sampling guidelines,” including facemasks, gloves and tongs.

The entrance to Kosherfest 2021. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)
The entrance to Kosherfest 2021. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

Despite the precautions set in place, the guidelines were not followed by everyone. Once attendees passed through this year’s particularly tight security, some were not wearing masks or gloves – and neither were some exhibitors. Few seemed mindful of social distancing conventions.

WHILE MORE than 300 exhibitors lined the aisles at the convention center, these numbers pale in comparison to pre-pandemic shows. “We are missing 61 companies, including more than 30 from Israel,” said organizer Menachem Lubinsky, president and CEO of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting, founding publisher of Kosher Today and a leading authority on the kosher food market.

But Lubinsky, a veteran of the kosher food industry, took an optimistic view and was not discouraged.

“There are lots of new products here and lots of business is being done,” he said. “It was important for the show to go on because the industry continues to grow at such a phenomenal pace in the US.“

We now have a whole network of independent kosher food stores and supermarkets, stores that are 20,000-50,000 square feet that used to be reserved for the national chains. Now we have independent kosher supermarkets that are doing that. Demographics are driving the growth of the kosher food industry here.”

This was Lubinsky’s 32nd year organizing Kosherfest.“When we first started the show, a place like Lakewood [NJ] had 17,000 kosher consumers; today it has 90,000. One distributor said he used to make one trip a week out there. Now, he does almost two a day. So, I feel good about the show, I feel this is going to be only the prelude to a much greater event next year – and hopefully Covid will be further on the decline, and international travel will pick up.”

Ben Aviva, CEO of Churros Original from Kiryat Malachi was one of the lucky foreign businesses to make it to Kosherfest.“

My father saw churros at a mall in Spain 15 years ago,” said Aviva, who noticed that kosher churros are not yet carried in the US. Aviva felt that interest in his fried dough product grew because of the pandemic. “People didn’t want to deep freeze at home – it is too much headache. This takes five minutes from freezer to the oven to eating.”

Sharon Feldman Vazan of the KLBD (Kosher London Beth Din) said that she had no trouble getting to the show, despite coming from Europe. She and her colleagues acted quickly once travel restrictions were lifted on November 8 for fully vaccinated European travelers. Feldman Vazan reports feeling “so thrilled” to be at the show which was “a better event than expected.”

JENNIFER KIM, Director of Business Development for the Government of Israel, currently works in New York at Israel’s Economic Mission to the US as part of the Foreign Trade Administration at the Israel Ministry of the Economy. She is tasked with promoting trade and investment between Israel and the US.

Kim had an especially important role at this year’s show, given travel issues for many Israeli companies. Lubinsky reports that the Israel pavilion traditionally houses 25 booths, but most were unable to attend. At this year’s show, Kim fielded various inquiries from people interested in doing business with Israel.

For example, three Dutch businessmen approached her seeking assistance in importing a range of Israeli kosher products for their catering company. They were appreciative and cautiously optimistic that Kim would follow through on her promise to connect them with key Israeli businesses.

As the name suggests, Kosherfest is equal parts kosher food trade show, and eating and mingling festival for anyone even remotely connected to the kosher food industry. Spending several hours at Kosherfest walking down the long aisles is both tiring and satisfying.

Brooklyn’s Flaum Appetizing offered pizza slices, humus and pita, cheese and samples of minestrone and butternut squash soup to all who stopped by their booths. Promised Land beverages occupied booth 414, right next to Fins Import, offering samples of anchovy bondarilla with olives and cold smoked anchovy fillets.

Yaakov Charlap, owner of Matzot Charlap from Bet Shemesh, was giving out samples of shmurah (guarded) matzah. For those wondering why a matzah company was reminding people about Passover when it is more than five months away, he playfully stated: “Kosherfest was canceled last year; Pessah still came – and we are the best tasting matzah in Israel!”

Matzot Charlap from Bet Shemesh at Kosherfest. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)
Matzot Charlap from Bet Shemesh at Kosherfest. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

TZIPPORAH ROTHKOPF, who converted to Judaism in 1980 and operates Seoul House, a Korean café near her home in Jerusalem’s Old City, was giving out samples of kimchi and other kosher Korean products. A few booths away, several other Koreans were offering tastes of K-BBQ Sauce, authentic Korean BBQ sauce which “can be used in various dishes such as bulgogi, galbi or japchae.”

Latonya King, of King Preferred, offered samples of dairy and pareve cake made from her cake mixes (“my personal favorite is our 4th flavor – banana pudding pound cake”). She describes herself as the first “Black kosher certified bakery mix business in the world,” and is proud to be using an ancient family recipe.

King Preferred booth at Kosherfest 2021. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)
King Preferred booth at Kosherfest 2021. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

David Guetta, a partner at California-based Mulami, was offering samples of artisanal charcuterie including salami Milano salt and pepper. He started the company five years ago using a method of fermenting and drying salami used for more than 1,000 years. “Growing up, I loved salami and couldn’t find it. I got obsessed and tried making it,” Guetta reports.

Mulami booth at Kosherfest. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)
Mulami booth at Kosherfest. (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

There was also wine and liqueur available for sampling. Marushika Osman of KAS Spirits in Mahopac, New York, explains why she and her husband started KAS Krupnikas, a sweet alcoholic drink distilled with local honey and a secret blend of spices. “I lost my mind!” she joked before explaining that when her husband lost his job, she encouraged him to turn his hobby of making alcohol using his Lithuanian family’s recipe into a business.

There were also non-food items on display – kitchen appliances labeling machines and companies offering business loans. Sherry Wynograd of Hillside, New York got very excited when she walked past the Shabbulb booth, displaying a special light bulb which it is permissible to adjust for brightness on Shabbat. “It is the greatest thing ever. I got it for all of my kids!”

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On Nov. 11 and 12, 340 companies filled 400 booths in the 80,000-square-foot exhibition hall in the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. – all part of the 26th annual Kosherfest, the trade show of the kosher food industry.

Kosher is big business. The number of Americans who are believed to keep kosher year-round is 1.3 million, and the number of goods produced in the U.S. with a kosher symbol exceeds $300 billion in sales. More than 200,000 items on U.S. supermarket shelves are under kosher certification – with approximately 2,500 items newly certified in 2013.

As attendees approached the exhibition hall, they were greeted by a truck offering free samples of Tofutti “Cuties” – before even entering the hall! I always find it helpful to sit for a few moments with a map and schedule or even come up with a game plan. I usually set out down the aisles – in order – from booths 100 to 753. Time permitting, I might catch one of the many mincha minyans held throughout the day, or watch some of the Kosherfest 7th Annual Culinary Competition, featuring three chefs and hosted by Chef Paula Shoyer. But visiting the booths – for info and samples – is key!

It is always comforting to see old familiar ‘faces’ – Guss’ Pickles, Gold’s, Empire Kosher Poultry, and the KOF-K and Star-K kosher supervision agencies. Many of these old reliable companies are still producing new products. Manischewitz, for example, debuted its Gluten Free Brownie Mix, Gluten Free Matzo Ball Mix and gave away cans of its Kosherfest 2014 “Best New Kosher for Passover” Carrot Cake Macaroons. They also invited visitors to enter their Chanukah House Kit contest. Empire was proudly showing off their Gourmet Spicy Apple Chicken Sausage, a blend of sweet and spicy with no nitrates or fillers.

Along with the food, there was also some fun. Entertaining the crowd were two gregarious Japanese men, who spent two days making sushi at their booth to promote extra spicy Srirachi sauces: chili and spicy mayo.

Many companies are offering healthier products, often geared to such specialty markets as gluten free. ProTings chips, in such tasty flavors as key lime, sea salt and tangy southern barbeque, have 15 grams of protein in a four-ounce bag and they are vegan and gluten free. Matt’s Munchies, the premium fruit snack, is gluten free and vegan, and Mauzone Mania offer low in carbs, high in fiber treats like biscotti, breadsticks and flatters. Azuma Gourmet has been producing seaweed salad for fifteen years; for the past four years, their sesame seaweed hummus, hijiki quinoa salad and seaweed salads have been available in Costco. Deebee’s won the award for best overall new product/best new frozen dessert. Their “teapops” are organic, gluten free, pareve and only 25 to 50 calories, and come in such flavors as minty mint, tropical mango and toasted coconut.

Despite the surge in healthy, more traditional meat products still abound. Attendees couldn’t get enough of such products as Jack’s Gourmet Beef merguez; U.S. Bison was promoting kosher bison meat – grass fed, antibiotic free, organic certification pending.

Many products come with interesting back stories: On the market only five months, NoMoo Cookies took home the 2014 Kosherfest New Product Competition (Best New Breads and Baked Goods) for its ginger cookie. The company was launched by an architect who loved to bake. His cookies, in eight flavors, are pareve. Allie’s GF Cookies was founded in 2014 by Allison Luckman, who was motivated to create her gluten free baked goods when her son, who suffers from an egg allergy, said, “I don’t like the sweets out there – can you make it taste better?” Allie started baking him special treats. She now bakes gluten free, nut free, coconut free, kosher baked goods, including cakes, rugelach, brownies, cupcakes, mousse and more.

I was delighted to discover one company at Kosherfest from our own Nutmeg State. Raul and Marissa Felix started the Connecticut Coconut Company in 2005. Their plant is in Shelton and their warehouse is in Waterbury. Originally from the Philippines, the Felixes are eager to explain why the coconut tree is considered “the tree of life.” “You can build your house from the wood of the tree, you can drink coconut milk, and you can get oil, flour and sugar! You can live from the coconut tree and have income from it!” Their organic coconut sugar is two years old and is under Star-K kosher supervision. “The response has been very positive. Everybody loves sugar and ours is raw and unrefined,” notes Marissa Felix.

(Source: http://www.jewishledger.com)

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SECAUCUS, N.J. – This year, even the ticket agent in Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal knew about Kosherfest – and that the 320 bus, leaving from gate 231, takes visitors to the annual kosher food trade show at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. Attendees at the world’s largest kosher-certified products show, now in its 25th year, include restaurant owners and caterers, ingredient buyers, representatives of specialty stores and supermarket chains, chefs, hashgacha agencies – even the secretary general of Parma, promoting Italian companies with kosher certification. And they come from such countries as Argentina, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Thailand and Israel.

Kosher has no doubt come a very long way. There are now more than 200,000 kosher certified products, and mashgichim (kosher supervisors) routinely travel to such places as Thailand, China, India and Costa Rica to provide certification to fish, spices, raw ingredients and more. Menachem Lubinsky, the founder of Kosherfest, who co-produces the show with Diversified Business Communications, reports, “There was somewhat of a vision back then that perhaps kosher could be more than a certification; that it would emerge as a cuisine. Incredibly, kosher has reached that level and it is still rising.”

The large exhibition hall at the two-day event, held at the end of October, is always bustling – from shacharit through closing. It is the sight and sound of kosher in action, including caterers in search of a new dessert or pareve gelato, new products in search of a distributor, buyers seeking the best price, nearly ongoing mincha services, and an abundance of new and old, milchig (dairy) and fleishig (meat), “healthy” and “less healthy” products to sample. While the show is limited to those “in the trade,” and while samples are only supposed to be consumed on the premises, more than a few visitors were observed bringing samples home.

“Who would have believed that sushi would become a basic staple in restaurant, pizza parlors, and at catered events, or for that matter that nearly 20% of the show would tout gluten-free products?” says Lubinsky.

Attendees with Connecticut connections included Sherrie Krupnick of Danbury, founder and CEO of Sherrie’s Specialties (all natural gluten free and sugar-free baked goods for Passover and all year), Scott Gantwerker of Ridgefield, executive vice president at Foodman, LLC, makers of Matzolah, “The Trail Mix of the Exodus,” and food developer and blogger (MuchAdoAboutStuffing.com), Elise Meyer.

Each year, Kosherfest features such familiar companies as Gold’s, Osem, Kedem, Manischewitz, Empire and Dr. Praeger’s – who each year manage to introduce new products. Empire, for example, offered Buffalo style wings, while Dr. Praeger featured Asian veggie burgers, kale and Tex Mex burgers.

Even meats and poultry offer fresh approaches, including Rachel’s Organic Kosher Poultry, Jack’s Gourmet (handcrafted deli meats and sausages) and Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket from Premier Tasty Meats, voted best new meat/seafood/poultry item in the show.

At least two Greek yogurt companies were in attendance: Norman’s Chalav Yisrael and Mehadrin All Natural Nonfat yogurt. Atlantic Natural Foods of Nashville, N.C. displayed “out of the can” vegetarian products with a three-year shelf life, including fishless tuna, five bean chili, vegetarian taco filling and chik’n sliders and patties – with the slogan “lean, green protein – vegetarian food for meat lovers, tree huggers and everyone else.” Although these products are not yet available in this region.

Another healthy product on display was Tivall (“It looks like meat, it tastes like meat, but it’s healthier and it’s pareve”), distributed by Bagel Bites. Their booth offered an abundance of samples of veggie schnitzel, corn bites, grilled filet, empanadas, felafel balls, and hot dogs.

Syndian Natural Foods looked just as tasty and healthy, but arrived with empty hands. Business development manager, Karen D’Angola of Australia said she hopes to come next year with samples of her dual certified kosher/halal all natural, gluten-free, vegan, products which include lentil burgers, brown rice and vegetable burgers and curried pumpkin bites.

Taft Foodmasters was back for a second year, promoting vegetarian seitan gyros and vegetarian seitan sausage. Their seitan product is fully cooked, vegan and heats in seconds.

New hot drinks of interest included Cuppa J, with its line of pareve hot chocolates. Their three flavors include double dark, mystic mint and Mayan mist. “I like hot chocolate, and there are none which are pareve – and I have a niece and nephew who are lactose intolerant,” says owner Jay Hill, explaining the genesis of the company he launched a year and a half ago. Hill plans to introduce a sugarless line next year.

Danny Ilgiyayev of Café Tastle USA was happy to give a thorough explanation of each of his instant coffees, including the difference between spray dried and freeze dried beans. One passerby, sampling his platinum espresso, commented, “You make it better than my wife!”

Yochanon Kitnick from Fallsburg Bagels and Bakery was on hand, offering samples of his delicious “thaw and serve” donuts. Simply 7 had a big display of its many chips including quinoa, bbq, cheddar, and pomegranate chips. Gourmet to Go of Ramat Gan, Israel displayed a wide range of long shelf-stable meals, including Bukhkara Stew, Mediterranean Shakshuka, Veggie Sichuan, Homemade Couscous and more. And Pizza cones consistently featured the longest lines at the show. Pizza cones are just as the name suggests – pizza (with various toppings!) – served in a cone that closely resembles an ice cream cone.

The most intriguing product of the show, by far, was Kosher Diapers, which feature Velcro over tape and are intended for Sabbath observers.

There was no shortage of baked goods at Kosherfest. Leah Hadad, president of Voila Hallah, wants her customers to “reconnect with the art of baking bread at home.” Toward that end, she offers Wholey Wheat, Traditional and Simply Spelt mixes which taste “just like from scratch.”

Busy with a book tour, pastry chef Paula Shoyer and author of The Holiday Kosher Baker, stopped by the show for a day. Shoyer continues to give baking demonstrations around the world – one recent show was in Hong Kong – as well as across the United States. Shoyer is also a favorite at Camp Ramah in Palmer, Mass. According to Camp Ramah’s assistant director, Josh Edelglass, “Paula Shoyer is a spectacular chef and one of our most popular visiting specialists. Each summer, she spends a week at camp, working intensely with a group of our older campers who sign up for her kosher cooking course. After a week working with her, our kids become amazing chefs in their own right!”

(Source: http://www.jewishledger.com)

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