Community Magazine December 2019

KISLEV 5780 DECEMBER 2019 39 Innovative New Kosher Products Passover cognac, a new apple-based vodka, and a Passover beer, were among new beverages introduced at the convention. Sauvage Beverages created a vodka and sparkling wine from New York apples. Ilio Mavlynov, president of operations said, “I always had a passion for alcoholic experiences, and I wanted to create something new and innovative for the market. So, I decided to create a hybrid between apple cider and champagne, called Comsi Comsa. It was about an innovative brand, produced locally, using local ingredients.” Soon consumers will be able to enjoy something they’ve never had before: Passover beer. Promised Land Beverage Company’s Exodus Hopped Cider does not contain any leavened products or grains; rather, it has fermented apples and hops, that double as a kind of “beer.” Yoni Schwartz, president, said: “Now you can have beer at the seder , something unimaginable in the past.” Strong Representation from Our Community As one might expect, there were scores of representatives from the local community. Brooklyn’s Kosher Culinary Center opened their doors in May, 2017. They tout themselves as “the only kosher cooking school in the U.S. to offer a professional level training program in culinary arts.” They also make it their business to help the new chefs find employment opportunities. Director Perline Dayan went to culinary school in 2014, where she developed a “great bond” with Chef Avrum Weiss, and “sensed an alchemy of sorts.” After a year and a half internship at T-Fusion Steakhouse, in Brooklyn, the two developed a curriculum, found a venue, and “made our dream come true to help people become chefs.” Joey Esses is owner of Brooklyn’s Pints N Pies. After three years in business, he now wants to take his dairy-free ice creams further afield from their single outlet. The company began with Esses’ 13-year-old son tinkering in the kitchen. He “experimented in the kitchen, mixed ice creams, and sold it to friends and family.” Eventually, Esses took over the company and now seeks distributors in supermarkets. Dare to Be Different’s signature piece is cauliflower crisps, launched November 1, 2018. They now can be found in a hundred supermarkets. The Brooklyn-based company sells a grain free, gluten free, GMO free, and kosher cauliflower cracker, with a sister product of cauliflower pizza crust. Robin Jemal, CEO and two-time cookbook author says, “I found that a lot of people are eating gluten free and non-carb, and that’s definitely the way things are going now, so we came up with a healthy item.” Global Appetizers, launched last year, is a subsidiary of Seuda Catering, a fifty-year-old local business. Their forte is Syrian mazza , such as kibbe and lachemagen . “We couldn’t produce enough, so we opened a wholesale department,” says Eliyahu Mezrahi, president. “Our products have been time-tested by thousands and thousands of community members, who approve of them all. These are original Syrian recipes.” On the topic of Syrian foods, Glutenfree.sy founder Esther Anzaroot sought to fill a niche with gluten free foods from the old country, in order that her son’s friend with celiac disease could eat them. Last year it won Kosherfest’s Best New Product in the “breads and baked goods category” for its gluten free cheese sambuzak . Their products include a gluten free mini pizza, franks in blankets, mushroom tarts, mozzarella sticks, potato knishes, and dozens of others. Of Course, Bagels And finally, the classic Jewish food, the bagel, has entered the 21 st century with classic preparation married with modern tastes. Clifford Nordquist, president of Bronx-based Just Bagels, says that his products are “different in several different ways,” including water from the Catskills, all-natural no-chemical no-bleach ingredients, no artificial colors or flavors, 10-hour aged dough, boiled dough, all oven baked at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. “What we do is what a little bagel store does, but in a very big level. All of those things, not many people do.” Just Bagels started as a little bagel store 25 years ago, “and I realized that if you make something special, people will come,” and today they are across the U.S. and in fifteen countries, such as Japan, Ireland, France, Bahrain, and Chile. “When they’re good, they’ll find you.” They offer 22 varieties, including Tuscan Cheddar, French Toast, and Jalapeno. Five years ago, they broke into the kosher market with their “ mezonot ” bagel – where apple juice replaces water, to give it a sweet dessert feel. And it was a hit. “I guess, if the Jewish people like your bagel, you must be doing something right.” Photos by Morris Antebi