By COLlive reporter
Photos: Itzik Roytman/COLlive
The 9th Annual Jewish Food Media Conference took place in Manhattan on Monday, bringing Jewish food industry professionals together for networking and camaraderie.
The conference, founded by food blogger Melinda Strauss, takes place annually a day ahead of Kosherfest, giving food industry professionals who are in town for the annual Kosher Food Expo an opportunity to meet and network.
This year’s conference was hosted by Shloimy and Shifra Klein of Fleishig’s Magazine, who teamed up with the Masbia charity to welcome members of the food and media industries at the Sen Sakana Restaurant in New York City.
The event was sponsored by 7th Heaven Chocolates, an Israeli company, backed by a large Lubavitcher investor group led by entrepreneur David Schottenstein. 7th Heaven goes under the name “Panda Chocolates” in the Israeli market.
The crowd of authors, content creators, recipe developers, influencers, and food enthusiasts mingled and networked with industry regulars in an intimate setting. The crowd enjoyed a tasting of the Nikkei cuisine at Sen Sakana, experts in the fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine.
A highlight was a tasting of the line of delectable vegan chocolates of 7th Heaven, which tastes like milk chocolate but is plant-based, created in Israel of the highest quality chocolate, leaving guests astonished that it was dairy free.
Speakers included Remi Franklin, founder and CEO of Light Switch Digital, who addressed participants about growing social media platforms and setting attainable goals for success.
Jennifer Weis, agent at Ross Yoon literary agency, met with attendees and shared her insights into the world of publishing, offering editorial and developmental guidance and knowledge to budding authors.
A surprise guest was New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who stopped by and signed copies of his cookbook Healthy at Last: A Plant-Based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes.
The Mayor addressed participants, proposing that Jewish food writers consider how they can best use good food and writing about kosher food to fight antiSemitism. Referencing the program “Breaking Bread, Building Bonds,” which he started as Brooklyn Borough President, the Mayor said he plans to initiate dinners in New York to promote understanding between different cultures.
“At each dinner, 10 people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds sat down and talked to each other,” said Mayor Adams. “If we want to increase the stop in hate crimes, then we have to start with something as simple as a conversation,” he said.
Before heading out, the Mayor enjoyed a tasting of 7th Heaven Chocolate, which he said was “delicious and shockingly not dairy!”
Guests were excited about seeing friends and associates once again after many months, and left with tips and inspiration for growing their brands along with swag bags filled with delicious samples.
“It was an honor for us to host this exciting conference,” said Shloimy Klein. “It is so important for everyone in the industry to get together, to network and grow their brands…the conference provides an amazing opportunity and we are so glad to be a part of it,” he said.
VIDEO: Remarks by Mayor Adams
solution to hate crimes and ALL crime is not breaking bread but having stiff sentencing the Rebbe was against a jungle with no rules. an empty expensive suit this partier of a mayor.
Can’t say I’m a fan of the Mayor but am definitely a big fan of the product. It actually tastes like milk chocolate. Major props to David Schottenstein, never stops building great companies and never stops giving to the Rebbe’s shluchim! Keep it up!!