The Sixth Sense
LUBICOM Kosher CEO Menachem Lubinsky is the founder and co-producer of Kosherfest, the annual trade event for the kosher food & beverage industry and is the editor-in-chief of KosherToday. The views expressed in this column do not represent the opinions of KosherToday’s publishers and are those of the author alone.
For the current My Sixth Sense article, please visit http://www.koshertoday.com/sixthsense.asp
My Sixth Sense is released on alternating weeks with Eye on Kosher, which can be found at http://www.lubicomkosher.com/eyeonkosher.
April 2, 2007
From the Editor…
It’s Erev Pesach (eve of Passover) 2007, the end of many weeks of preparation for Passover. The final sales tabulations are not yet in, but there’s every indication that the increases will be in double-digits…Some of our last minute Passover stories include Sugar-Free was a major hit for one Brooklyn baker this Passover, the media’s focus on Coke and Wines, Israel’s highly successful Passover, and Elite had some rather exciting new products, reports Eda Kram. Sara Cohen has the beat of a kosher wine review by the Wine Enthusiast…In other stories, kashrus agencies reassure restaurant diners, Israeli hotels are vying for US kosher certification and the Boston milkman is delivering kosher…Here and There has news on Wolfgang Puck going kosher in Chicago, the first slice of pizza after Passover being sold for charity on E-Bay and large amounts of food being distributed to the poor for Passover.
Please Note: There will be no issue of Kosher Today during Passover. Our next issue will be published on Monday April 16th. A happy Passover to all.
Menachem Lubinsky
Editor-in-Chief
Sugar-Free Pastries Big Hit this Passover and Year-Round
Brooklyn, NY…The last of the tractor trailers had been loaded on Boro Park’s busy 16th Avenue for destinations all over the country, closing out another highly successful Passover season for Schick’s Bakery. With new packaging and new products (this year it was Chocolate Kokosh Cake), Schick’s has been a major success story over the past few years, but this year, says Chaim Braunfeld of Schick’s, it was his expanded line of sugar-free products that made waves. “You need a bit of imagination and not to be afraid to experiment,” says Chaim about such sugar-free products as Seven Layer Cake, Chocolate Roll, Raspberry Roll and Apricot Roll. Schick’s cakes were part of Passover displays in supermarkets all over the country, but it was the sugar-free items that received notice everywhere. In the past 6 months, Schick’s also greatly expanded its year-round sugar free offerings, adding such items as Rainbow Cookies, Rugalech, Mandelbread, Carrott Cake, Chocolate Babka, Jerry Roll Cake, and Seven-Layer Cake. The sugar-free items, say retailers, are popular not only with kosher consumers but with non-Jews who simply covet the good taste of the sugar-free pastries. The sugar-free line is popular with diabetics and others seeking to restrict their sugar intake. Perhaps what has been most impressive is not the that popular cakes are made without sugar (replaced by such sweeteners as Sorbitrol), but that it tastes like the real thing.
“System” Protects Kosher Diners, Agencies Say
New York…A recent charge by a mashgiach (rabbinical supervisor) of kashrus abuses at a popular Manhattan restaurant has many diners concerned about kashrus standards at major kosher restaurants. While the allegations were dismissed by the kashrus agency as never compromising the kashrus of the restaurant, questions were raised about the systems in place to prevent abuses by restaurants. Kashrus agencies told Kosher Today that the mashgiach temidi (full-time rabbinic supervisor) reports directly to the Rabbinic Coordinator (RC). The Mashgiach is required to report any abuses to the RC, who will act immediately upon notification of an abuse. The agencies stress that the mashgiach’s job is to carry out the policies of the agency, as they are set down by the RC’s. “The mashgiach is required to routinely report to the RC even when no violations exist,” said Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Chief Operating Officer of the Kashrus Division of the Orthodox Union. The agencies admit that many innocent mistakes do occur in restaurant kitchens, but in most cases the infractions are caught in time, not jeopardizing the kashrus of the food served in the eatery. The consensus by the agencies, rabbis, and restaurants was that the system of checks and balances works.
Israeli Hotels Court US Kosher Certifications
Jerusalem…The Jerusalem Renaissance Hotel advertises its new certification by the Orthodox Union (OU) alongside the certification of the Jerusalem Rabbinate. Other leading hotels are likely to follow with their own arrangements with leading US certification agencies. According to Dr. Avrom Pollack, president of the Star-K Kosher Certification in Baltimore, his agency continues to review the opportunitires in Israel. The Star-K is said to have considered granting kosher certifications to Israeli food establishments, including Jerusalem’s David Citadel Hotel. Dr. Pollack told Kosher Today, “we may offer our certification for specific events or time periods.” The hotels are seeking the endorsement of American kashrus agencies to reassure their laree glatt kosher American base. On most Jewish holidays, particularly Succoth and Passover, Orthodox Jews from the US fill most of Jerusalem’s luxury hotels. But the standards at the hotels are different from the US. For example, the Jerusalem Rabbinate offers certification to both glatt and non-glatt kosher. Hotels frequently serve both glatt and non-glatt at the same meals, further creating confusion for the American tourists. Kashrus officials in the US must also reconcile the standards of Israeli rabbis and work with the Israelis. The very fact that the Israelis are for the first time willing to consider the joint certification is in itself a new development. Sources say that they have been under relentless pressure from the hotels to give the Americans the right to grant certifications. But some of the hotels are also not willing to give up some of their culinary standards, including using parts of the animal that Ashkenazic Jews do not use.
Media Focus on Coke and Wines this Passover
New York…The weeks before Passover once again generated its usual extensive media coverage. Almost every major US daily at some point featured a story about the preparations for Passover. The Jewish media, of course, always has a major focus on kosher for Passover foods. But the big stories were the sugar in Coke and the quality of kosher wines. The Coke story, of course, revolved around the fact that Coca Cola replaced the corn syrup with sugar for the holiday, which was welcome news to even non-kosher consumers who have missed the sugar since it was replaced in 1985. One headline read: “ Mazel Tov! Kosher Wine Loses its 'Terrible' Reputation.” Many American Jews who grew up with Manischewitz wines at the Seder are virtually culture shocked to find some of the best wines from all over the world with a kosher certification. There were also the “man bites dogs” Passover stories. The bus in Monsey, NY that was used as a Matzo bakery received considerable notice as did kosher for Passover marijuana. Even newspapers in smaller markets with few kosher consumers made sure to include a Passover story.
Wine Enthusiast Reviews 25 Kosher Wines in April Issue
New York…By Sarah Cohen…The April 2007 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, a major publication of the wine industry, reviewed 25 kosher wines this month. Wine Enthusiast reviews wines on a 100 point scale, complete with a suggested retail value, the full name of the wine and a tasting note. Wines receiving a score below 80 are not reviewed. The 25 different wines ratings’ ranged from 81 to 86. Wines receiving a grade between 80 and 82 “can be employed in casual, less-critical settings,” while the wines rating between 83 and 86 are “suitable for everyday consumption, often good value.”
Segal’s 2002 Dishon Single Vineyard Kosher Cabernet Sauvignon by Galil was one of the two highest rated wines on the list, receiving a score of 86. The wine, imported by Royal Wine Corporation, was described as “complex and integrated, with great structure and a mineral edge on the finish.” The second wine receiving a score of 86 was
Capçanes 2003 Peraj Ha'Abib Flor de Primavera Kosher (Montsant), recently profiled in Kosher Today (03/06/2007). This Kosher for Passover wine, also imported by Royal Wine Corporation was described as "one of the better Kosher wines on the market.
Beckett’s Flat 2004 Kosher Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz (Margaret River) as well as Beckett’s Flat 2006 Kosher Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon (Margaret River), both imported by Abarbanel Wine Company received a score of 85. The coming of age by kosher wines was one of the big stories this Passover as some of the major wine reviewers gave high grades to the quality of kosher wines.
Israel’s Excellent Passover in the Books
Jerusalem…The average Israeli household spent $430, while the typical food and drink bill ranged from $170-$260, according to a survey conducted by the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce's Department of Economics and Taxes. However many chareidi households with large families spend much more. The total for all households came to $830 million, which is 22% more than the same period of time not during a holiday season. It cost more than $17 million to kosher more than 300 hotels around the country, according to a survey by the Hotel Union's Economics Department, which conducted a survey for the first time this year to assess the costs associated with kashering hotels for Pesach. At hotels that are made glatt kosher, daily expenses went up as much as 60%. Israelis also ate healthier foods this Passover, sources report. Israelis drank some 7.5 million bottles of wine, more than 90% of which was produced locally. Pesach wine sales are projected to reach $40 million, the Manufacturers Association of Israel said, representing a rise of 5%-10% from last Pesach. The Israel Export Institute, meanwhile, reported that Pesach wine exports grew 14% from 2006 levels, worth an estimated $7.75 million.
Boston Dairy to Deliver Kosher Products
Boston…Crescent Ridge Dairy, a “Dairy of Distinction” according to the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, is preparing to offer home delivery of many kosher products in the Boston area. The 75-year old Crescent Ridge Dairy offers an extensive line of kosher products, including many well known brands such as Cabot and Stonyfield and a range of other products, including yogurt, cream, butter and other dairy products to whole bean and ground coffee, tea, bread and bagels. “In offering Kosher products, we are better able to cater to a broader customer base, including those who observe strict dietary guidelines for religious reasons,” noted Mark Parrish, president of the family-owned Crescent Ridge Dairy. Serving more than 100 communities throughout the Boston area, Crescent Ridge Dairy provides the convenience, quality and customer care demanded in today’s busy lifestyles.
From Here and There…
Chicago…Downtown Chicago has been missing a kosher eatery ever since La Misada Restaurant at the Hyatt closed many years ago. Now comes word that the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies and Wolfgang Puck Catering Inc. are bringing kosher back to downtown Chicago. The kosher cafe run by the famous chef's catering company is set to open in November on the second floor of the new Spertus Institute building, under the supervision of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC).
New York…Jews clamoring for the first slice of pizza on Tuesday April 10th after the conclusion of Passover were invited to bid for the bragging rights on E-Bay. The idea was the brainchild of Benjie Greenfield, who came up with the concept to raise money for charity.
New York… One in every five Jews in New York City lives in poverty. The Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty worked with the Food Bank for New York and City Harvest to provide over 60,000 families with food for the 2007 Passover season. Its Passover outreach extended to over 100 food distribution sites in all five NYC boroughs. Met Council distributed over 1.1 million pounds of matzo, poultry, gefilte fish, tuna fish, mayonnaise, grape juice, oil, borscht, canned vegetables and fruit, macaroons, potatoes, onions, oranges, and apples to the neediest in our community. Another $200,000 worth of food vouchers has also been allocated to over 2,500 families in need.
New Product Showcase…by Eda Kram
Elite Introduces New Chocolate Products for Passover: Five new premium Kosher for Passover mehadrin chocolate treats were introduced to Elite’s large lineup of products. The new products included Milk & White Chocolate Spread which is a colorful and tasty snack spread that spreads smoothly on matzot and Pesach cookies; Mini Chocolate Assortment; Splendid Milk Chocolate and Splendid Milk Chocolate with Caramelized Almonds, a high-quality chocolate bar that is also available in gift boxes. One of the gift box versions also features bittersweet chocolates. Elite, which is an integral part of the Strauss Group global food conglomerate, also brought back three of last year’s most popular Passover items: Platinum Coffee (jar), Instant Coffee (can) and Turkish Coffee (can and insulated bags. All these products are now available at supermarkets and sweet shops across the country. For more info contact: export@strauss-elite.co.il.