Many area Jews are more into food than most
Though the Jewish holidays are behind us, as we look towards the secular holidays (and Chanukah), many people are trying to maintain their resolutions to eat better and also looking for good ideas for holiday treats for themselves and those they love.
Fortunately, our region is blessed with many ways to fulfill these goals.
While New York may (admittedly) be the deli capital of the world, the Boston area is no slouch when it comes to both traditional Jewish and Israeli foods and also foods made by Jews.
In addition to Israel-inspired favorites like Boston’s BONAPITA and Galit’s Treats in Newton, there are many other Minyan makers who also make great noshes.
As we mentioned deli, it makes sense to start with the King of Corned Beef, Michael’s Deli (https://michaelsdelibrookline.com). Having been created in Marblehead by the eponymous Michael (who many still remember and revere as a shrewd foodie), the hot spot is now in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner and helmed by Steve Peljovich, who brings his Cuban roots to traditional deli favorites like corned beef, brisket, and his famous Krazy Knishes.
“I have always had a love of food,” Peljovich explains, “but more specifically a love of the gatherings around food – the family all getting together to cook, create and celebrate being together.”
When asked about his fondest memories of his native Miami, Peljovich recalls, “[having] us all in the kitchen or arranging the table for the extended family to get together and spend quality time together…. That is what draws me to what I do everyday [and] what brings me happiness everyday.”
As he in the shop almost every day, it is easy to find a smiling Steve, who is always happy to get his guests just what they want, whether they be devoted fans or brand new customers.
In addition to serving his neighbors, Peljovich also serves the larger community by donating his food and much of his sparse spare time to the Relay for Life organization, the Brookline Food Pantry, No Kid Hungry, the Boston Bruins, and the Shawn Thornton Foundation, among many others.
“I hope that the food and the history of deli food live on in my work,” Peljovich says.
That seems to be a safe resolution!
Once you have enjoyed one of Steve’s sandwiches or other tasty treats, it ay be time for dessert. And what better way to recall your own family memories than with a delicious cake from My Grandma’s Coffee Cake (https://www.mygrandma.com).
Started in Newton in 1990 with a recipe that dates back to the Old Country and that was originally baked by a real grandma, My Grandma’s award-winning handmade cakes are now available worldwide, thanks to the tireless work of Owner Bob Katz.
When asked how he came to be “Grandma,” Katz recalls starting out in business by creating an environmentally-friendly brand of ice melt and trash bags that were made from oil refuse.
“I was selling numerous clean products ahead of the big companies,” he reasons, “because a little guy had an opportunity before the big guys took it all over.”
This plucky entrepreneur spirit combined with Katz’s apparent desire to help the world (i.e., tikkun olam) led Katz to work with another sole proprietor who was making his won brand of coffee cakes but who was also facing problem that so many such creators do.
“[He] couldn’t make enough cakes for me to bring to my customers,” Katz explains.
In order to help a colleague help him help his customers, Katz volunteered to join the baking line and eventually ended up buying the company!
From one tiny shop in Newton, Katz has expanded Grandma’s to an international phenomenon that regularly sells out in local delis (like Barry’s), national stores (including Starbucks), and even on QVC! Despite its growth, however, Katz has held tightly to the Jewish values that got him started.
“My Grandma’s coffee cake is a kosher product and Jewish owned,” says Katz proudly, noting how he too gives a great deal to Hebrew day schools and other organizations around the country.
“Actually,” Katz smiles, “we set records with fundraisers for synagogues who are looking to add to their building fund, as well as to Hebrew schools that are raising funds for a special trip or…to make a large donation to Israel.”
Another sweet synagogue supplier is Liron Gal of Chocallure (www.choc-allure.com). After stepping away from her corporate job at the start of the pandemic, Gal decided to stay away and to focus her creative efforts elsewhere. As she had been trained in the prestigious Ecole Lenôtrein Paris, as well as the Barry Callebaut chocolate academy in Chicago, Gal partnered with other cacao creative (including the legendary Luis Amado) to create a new set of kosher candies that are perfect for the Jewish holidays or any other occasion. For Passover, Gal created a chametz-free collection with six new flavors. More recently, she incorporated apples and honey and pomegranates into a new Rosh Hashanah set.
When asked how she came to Needham, Gal explains that, after leaving Israel, she wanted to find “a suburb that was still close to a big city” and that had “a Jewish and Israeli community.”
After some of Grandma’s cake and/or Liron’s chocolates, you will surely need something just as delicious to wash it all down. Thanks to Joe Laur’s company Maple Mama Beverages (https://maplemamabeverages.com), your beverage can be nutritious as well!
Laur first created what was originally called Maple Mama Beverages to offer his own family a lower-sugar soft drink option. His maple-sweetened, electrolyte-packed creation proved so popular it is now distributed nationwide!
Recently renamed Samara, Laur’s kosher and organic beverages do not just serve as guardians to your health with their 54 antioxidants and 7 vitamins and minerals, they also help protect the planet with their progressive EcoKosher standards.
“It’s not enough in this era to just be halachacillykosher,” says Laur, who is a certified mashgiach. “We need to take into account environmental and social impacts as well. “
That is why Maple Mama is a B-corporation (i.e., a business that meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose) and that is why Laur’s drinks should be on any forward-thinking food list.
If you still need help putting together your menu, food writer Leah Klein may have just what you need!
As the creator of the popular blog Leah’s Life (https://leahslife.com), the Cambridge-based cook writes about many aspects of modern married life with children, but often focuses on food.
“I grew up in a family that loved good food,” Klein recalls of her Ontario upbringing. “We had wonderful farmer’s markets…because of the vibrant Mennonite communities nearby.”
Eschewing New York in favor of Beantown after college, Klein arrived just in time to catch the latest wave of Boston foodie-ism.
“I am so proud of this area in how the food community has grown and nurtured…one another,” she kvells.
As a food writer, blogger, and new media producer, Klein says that she hopes to “share as much as possible about who is making, growing, cooking what so that everyone can enjoy the fruits (literal and not) of the chefs’, farmers’, and artisans’ labor in the area.”
While her recipes range from soup to nuts, Klein has always had a special place in her heart (and stomach) for traditional Jewish favorites.
“I have…developed many recipes with Jewish traditions mashed up with other flavors,” she explains, “not only for fun and to mix up the traditional a little bit, but also to show that we all have so much common ground that goes beyond food and flavors but maybe that we can access most easily with our taste buds and stomachs.”
Amen!
