By Libby Herz – COLlive
It’s Wednesday, June 28, and you’re at the entrance to the Meadowlands Expo Center in New Jersey. Breathe in the aroma of fresh popcorn. Feel the vibrations of Jewish music. Enter. A vendor offers you a pink bottle of drinkable strawberry yogurt, a cup of cookie dough ice cream, and a slice of raw, unpasteurized cholov yisroel cheese. You still haven’t made it past the entrance of the milchig section at the KosherPalooza.
Try not to be overwhelmed by the bustle of this indoor shuk – the chattering of men in black jackets and yarmulkas, women in sheitels and bright snoods. All are united, celebrating kosher food in 2023. And there’s a whole lot to celebrate.
Kosher Palooza of 2023 was the first kosher food festival of its kind, explains Shifra Klein, editor-in-chief of Fleishigs magazine, because it was geared towards the average kosher shopper rather than those in the trade. “This feels like you’re in a mall,” said Mendy Herz, store manager of Kol Save in Five Towns. “It’s set up like a food court.”
Indeed, the 61,000 sq. feet exhibit center was alive. At its center were soaring trees bursting with white blooms. The live DJ set up near the Masbia blind taste test, mixed tunes as the hot sauce competition was in full gear. The Mixcraft bartending competition was up next.
Not the competitive type? Perhaps you would have preferred the live panel of rabbis who answered hundreds of kashrus questions. Or you could have smelled your way toward the coffee workshop with Gaia and Stack Sreet. There was a heady panel of kosher wine experts from around the world, and the fires were turned on high for a full day of kitchen demos by the likes of Faigy Murray, Miriam Pascal, and Levana Kirschenbaum.
Jews from all over drove and flew in for the mouthwatering event. Philadelphia, Phoenix, Montreal, Monsey, Jersey City, and Brooklyn were all represented. One couple came to the show with suitcases – they fit the Kosher Palooza into their itinerary en route to a wedding.
“What’s really cool is the mix of Jewish people,” Klein said. We are all more similar than we are different. We all celebrate every week on Shabbos and Yom Tov, but this is a way of celebrating our lifestyle and values in a loud and proud way.”
“This is a very, very, very strong turnout,” said Berel Wolowik of Gourmet Glatt. “It’s like a food crawl,” said his wife, Miriam.
Scratch-made signature cocktails by Mixcraft were especially popular with a steady line of customers that never seemed to end. Another booth that attracted a lot of consumers was Meant To Be – a line that carries organic, grass-fed, and soy-free chicken, turkey, and meat.
“When my father was in catering, I used to go to the Kosher fairs,” said Tzirel Goldman, a resident of Crown Heights. “This is different. The amount of food is huge, and there are all kinds of yidden together. I loved seeing Rochie Pinson’s challah display.”
Boutique companies had their day to shine, offering tasters of crunchy dehydrated tomato onion chips and cocoa date truffle nibs by Platraw, wild-caught fish and Alaskan Gravlox by Koshercatch.net, and Lychee Moscato by Royal Wine Corp. And where there is food, there are gorgeous table settings by Elyon Tableware.
As the day winded down, a huge crowd gathered to watch the cooking competition hosted by Chanie Apfelbaum and judged by Daniel Renov, Melinda Strauss, Isaac Bernstein, and Roee Mordechai. The chefs, Albert Bijou, Itta Werdyger, and Shira Asias, were given a mystery box of foods to create a gourmet meal in under thirty minutes. Asias, owner of Mama’s Kitchen, made a mouthwatering bison with a side of citrus salad and was the undisputed winner. “I was so happy to be a part of this,” said Werdyger. “I don’t even care that I didn’t win.”
“I loved meeting tons of people,” said Chanie Rapp from Crown Heights. “We washed and tasted different sourdoughs, pizza, and gnocchi. It was really fun.”
“I wanted people to be walking around, be happy, and have fun,” says Shloimy Klein, COO of Fleishigs magazine, “and that’s what happened.” KosherPalooza was a day of culinary adventure, and it fulfilled its mission of bringing Jews together through the shared love of Kosher.
wow its a real who’s who of the kosher culinary world. thanks for doing this.
great idea! Gotta find a way to attract Yidden who aren’t yet interested in kosher and set up shmooz corners for them to get into discussion with those who’ve switched to kosher to make them realize how important it should be to them to eat kosher and how make them aware of how exciting kosher food has become. I was shopping at my local kosher supermarket’s meat dept and found myself standing alongside a non-Jewish black lady who explained that she only buys kosher meat because there’s something cleaner and better tasting about it; , if she recognized that then… Read more »
Shloimy and Shifra you guys went over and beyond. Every detail so thought out. The atmosphere was so happy, relaxed and we felt a strong sense of togetherness. Seeing so many Jews come together was truly amazing. Thank you for creating an opportunity for great entertainment and connection. Definitely plan on coming next year!