From the first sight of hundreds of booths filled with kosher delights, to the last morsel of food tasted, Kosherpalooza was a feast for all the senses. The creatively designed booths were visually stimulating, the room hummed with dynamic conversations over a soundtrack of upbeat music, and of course endless delicious samples of kosher food were displayed to be tasted. There were established companies introducing their latest products, emerging companies adding new items, and startups eager to get a foothold in the market. The demonstration kitchen was in use all day with popular kosher chefs showing the audience their cooking techniques. There was even an impromptu concert, as Gad Elbaz, who was there to do a cooking demo, stepped away from behind the frying pan and performed a smokin’ hot rendition of his hit song, “Hashem Melech.”
The aisles were divided and marked ‘dairy’ and ‘meat’ so attendees could plan their tasting strategy. And if you were really structured, you could taste savory followed by sweet. Here’s a shout out to some of my favorites. The Pizza Guy made the best meat pizza I’ve tasted, with smoky sausage, rich tomato sauce and spicy garlic mayo. I loved the Captain Crunch fried chicken from Chef Mo, founder of Flavor on Board. There was a hint of sweetness in the crunch, which retained its texture despite sitting in a tray, and the meat was moist and tasty. Meal Mart served mini taco shells filled with their new vegan crumbles that were spiced perfectly and tasted like meat. I could picture making them at home with guacamole and sour cream for the complete experience. Dolcetto, which has rapidly become a fine dining powerhouse in the Monsey area, served perfectly seared tuna that was nicely charred on the outside and pink on the inside, with a touch of mayo for spice. I stayed for Susie Fishbein’s complete presentation in the demo kitchen and was rewarded with a delicious bite of pomegranate glazed chicken. Last but not least, I had a sample of Mehadrin’s pareve ice cream. And I’ll confess to a taste of Baglietti brut sparkling wine as I left the show.
