A Publication of the Union For Traditional Judaism

Copyright Ó2000 Union for Traditional Judaism

 2000   Vol. 7  No. 3  Spring, 5760

                And now, it is time once again, boys and girls, for a few words from our Experteen:  ace cub reporter, bon vivant, noted gourmand, and teenager about the campus, Ms. Jessica Rubin.

            Hello, and welcome back to the Kosher Nexus.  We’ve missed you.  We hope you enjoy this issue. 

            I’d like to tell you about my college experience.  First off, I had a wonderful time at Cornell for my first semester.  My classes were all good courses, and I made sooo many new friends, especially at the Center for Jewish Living (my dorm) and in the Kosher Dining Hall.

            Usually, on Shabbat afternoons, at the Center, we all sit around and talk or play chess.  Sometimes, I cater to everyone when someone goes upstairs to my room and brings down a load of snacks.  This is some of the stuff that finds its way downstairs: (The Pareve stuff gets eaten earlier in the afternoon; hours later we switch to dairy.)

            ZETOV’S SUPER SNACKS (O-U P) are totally yummy. I ‘ve loved these things since day camp ten years ago.  They have about ten different varieties of snacks.  I prefer the Onion Rings, Pizza Wheels, and BBQ Twists. 

            Reese’s PEANUT BUTTER CUPS and TWIX (O-U D) are great snacks for all of my chocolate loving friends. 

            LAFFY TAFFY’S taffys and sour ropes go a long way.  I also have a whole bucket of NOW ‘N’ LATERS that people “schnorr” from rather frequently. 

            SOUR STRAWS from Bloomies have also made a big hit here at the Center. 

            Finally, good ol’ Number One:  JELLY BELLY Jelly Beans have converted my room into Grand Central Station as everyone stops by to help themselves to some JB’s from my jelly bean dispenser.  In fact, at least once a day, I have to refill the dispenser due to the heavy traffic it brings into my room.  The people pour in, and the JB’s pour out!

            As for drinks, SNAPPLE is a popular one, as is ARIZONA.  (For the record, I ª Arizona Green Tea.)  Plus, a new drink called BLUE LUNA’S CAFÉ LATTE (O-U D) is iced coffee taken to the Nth degree.  I absolutely love it!  And the bottles are way cool , too!  There are a few subtely different flavors- all are equally great!  They are, however, a bit pricey, but well worth it, trust me!

                Finally, when everyone has left the room,  and I can pig-out alone, I don’t always want something dairy.  There are two really great meat snacks out there:  UNCLE EZRA’S BEEF JERKY and AARON’S PEPPERONI STICKS.  Both are truly yummy, the second, though, a tad more spicy than the first.  And of course, when eating meat, nothing, repeat NOTHING,  adds more flavor than Ford’s BONE SUCKIN SAUCE.  Get it, use it, you’ll love it!       (Ed. Note:  The Experteen may be reached at experteen@aol.com)

            We have an amazing range of products to share with you this issue, so let’s get on down to business.  The Kosher Foods Expo back in the Fall was awesome!  Herewith, our report.

            MEATS AND POULTRY

            This year, Katchke (duck) and Bison were the big hits.  From SILVER GOOSE INDUSTRIES in Israel, comes all sorts of goose products.  They market goose liver, leg of goose, and whole goose breast.  Under the hashgacha of the Rabanut Yerushalayim, the company can be reached at +972 6 636 2511.  They are located in Binyamina, Israel. 

            From LE CANARD OCCITAN also comes a variety of kosher duck products.  This company has three hashgachot:  the O-U, Paris Bet Din, and Orthodox U. K. Rabbinate.  The company is located in Besssieres, France, at 31660 Route de Montauban.  The phone number is:  (33) 5 61 84 55 33.

            From CHASE’S FINEST, comes buffalo hotdogs.  Yes, you heard us, buffalo hot dogs.  Steve Chase is descended from a long line of hot dog makers, so you know he has the experience!  Buffalo is lower in fat and cholesterol than even turkey or chicken!  These dogs are made from free ranged animals.  The dogs are steriod free and non allergenic.  You can call them at 1 877 LEANBUFF.   Mail order is available.  They are on the web at  www.ChaseBuffalo.com  Chase’s is located at 5491 NW 15 Street, Suite 15, Margate, Florida, 33063.  Hashagacha is by the Kosher Supervisor’s Union. 

            In general, you can contact the National Bison Association for information about the growing market for, and availability of, kosher buffalo meat.  They are located at 4701 Marion Street, Suite 100, Denver, CO, 80216.  You can reach them at 303 292 2833.  Their web site is located at www.nbabison.org . 

            SOME NEW STUFF TO TRY:

From HEALTH AND WEALTH, comes seven delicious new foods.  How about Vegetable Dumplings, (fake) Chicken Dumplings, Oriental Vegetable Egg Rolls, (fake)Chicken Egg Rolls, Steamed Dumplings with Assorted Vegetables, Whole Wheat, Potato and Chedar filled Pierogies, and Whole Wheat, Potato, and Onion filled Pierogies?  All of them, except the Chedar filled Pierogies, are Vegan as well as Vegetarian.  Certification of the Pierogies is Half Moon K.  The others are O-U.  The company is located at 1051 Asykes Lane, Williamstown, NJ, 08094.  The phone number is 856 728 1998.  Their web page is located at www.healthiswealth.com  .   We bought the Chicken Egg Rolls and they were a huge hit in our house.  The post teen ager loved them, and, in fact, she even ate them cold.  They are really, really good.  We give them a Kosher Nexus Five Fork rating!

            Some of the prettiest foods we have ever seen come from a new kosher company:  SUSHI METSUYAN.  As the name implies, they market way upscale, and totally delish sushi and all that kind of stuff.  Certification is by the Star-K.  To find out where you can find the product, call 718 831 6666.  Or you can visit their web site at:  www.sushimetsuyan.com . 

            NATURAL WONDER FOODS of Brooklyn markets some really neat stuff.  They are under O-U supervision, and they offer:  Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Rings, Chicken Patties, Vegetarian Nuggets, Vegetarian Franks, Cutlets, and Burgers, Cheese Puffs, Mushroom Puffs, Potato Puffs, Spinach Puffs, Falafel Balls, Franks-N-Blankets, and Yamanite (sic) Malawah.  All of these foods are quite tasty.  The company is located at 4522 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11219.  The phone there is 718 435 1146.

            MILCHIQS……

            Ok, so we went out of order- meat then dairy.  So wait six hours before you read this section!

            Our old pals at MILLER’S CHEESE have been very busy checking out the latest trends in cheese, and they have risen to the challenge.  Yes, now you can buy CHEVRE (goat cheese) from Miller.  They make four kinds:  Plain, Lemon Pepper, Dill, and Roasted Garlic and Parsley.  All of them are wonderful (if you like goat cheese), all of them are O-U kosher, and all of them are kosher for Passover.  Hmmm, matzah and Chevre- what a taste treat.  Break open a good bottle of wine, add the Chevre and the Matzah and you’ve got a way upscale Passover lunch!  Miller’s is O-U certified. 

            AGUDAT HANOKDIM is the Israeli Sheep and Goats Breeders Association.  They make FETA cheese- one of our very favorites!  We love feta cheese on salad, or with olive oil and a good crispy Italian or French bread.  Some people eat it with Watermelon!  Hashgacha is by the Hug Hatam Sofer and the O-U, too.  The product is just being shipped to the USA, so watch for it. This is a winner!  The product appears in packages labeled: PASTURES OF EDEN.  Distribution in the US is by Arthur Schulman, Inc.  They are located at 40 New Dutch Lane, Fairfield, NJ, 07004.  The phone number is: 973 227 0030.

            Some of the best Farmer cheese we have ever tasted comes from MICHIGAN FARM CHEESE DAIRY, INC., makers of ANDRULIS FARMERS CHEESE.  Under the O-K, these cheeses are made according to an old Lithuanian recipe.  The cheese comes in Plain, Caraway, Unsalted, and Chive.  The taste is sublime!  The company is located at 4295 Millerton,  Fountain, MI, 49410.  The phone number is 231 462 3301.

            Anderson Natural Foods makes cheese.  They make awesome cheese.  Under the LES PETITES FERMIERES label, they make a mild Cheddar, a Colby, and a Monterey Jack.  Under the NATURAL AND KOSHER label, they make Feta, Mozzarella, String, and Braided String cheeses.  We tried all of them, and they are all super cheeses.  All the cheeses are 100% natural, contain no preservatives, and are Cholov Yisroel.  Supervision is by the O-K.  The phone number for the company is 323 780 1091.  They are located in Los Angeles.

            SIDE DISHES, ETC…..

            TILDA makes rice.  They make a lot of rice. They make some very interesting rices such as: Brown Basmati, Thai Jasmine, Basmati and Wild, Basmati, Arborio Risotto, and Easy Cook Basmati.  All are O-U certified and all are quite tasty.  Tilda is located at 2160 North Central Road, Suite 205, Fort Lee, NJ, 07624.  The phone number is: 201 461 1600.  Our whole family likes rice, and these are fairly commonly found on our table- we like them all!

            Both of the Sheiks have issued some new flavors.  From TRIBE OF TWO SHEIKS, comes French Onion Hummus, Hummus with Sundried Tomato and Basil, Hummus with Roasted Eggplant, Hummus with Garden Vegetables, and Jalapeno Hummus.  Call 1 800 8 HUMMUS for information. 

            Mission Valley Foods has come up with a real winner!  We love Chutney, and they make some of the best we have ever had (second only to a very exclusive, private brand known as Mommarapp’s brand).  Under the O-U, look for CHEF MARTIN brand chutney.  All of them were superlative.  We especially liked the Festive Mango (sweet mango, some other fruit, and red and green jalapeno, all mixed together in an amazing taste treat).  Try these on for size:  Plum and Mango, Festive Mango, Orchard Blend (apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, orange peel, and cranberry zest), and Plum and Mango with Ginger.  All are fresh and all natural, contain no fat nor cholesterol, are low in sodium and sugar, and never contain preservatives.  We really like this stuff!  You can write to them at P O Box 219, Litchfield, CT, 06759.  The phone number is 203 573 0652.  This is one you want to try!  We tried the Festive Mango on pretzels, hamburger, meat loaf, veggies, and rice.  This is another Kosher Nexus Five Fork winner!

            When we were kids, no meal was complete without kartoffle (potato).  But we have moved way beyond Kartoffle mit Schmaltz!  From CAVENDISH comes a whole line of really tasty potato products for the trade (ie, not in consumer- sized packages).   Under the O-U, Cavendish uses only Russet and Shepody potatoes.  Try these fine products:  Chunky Diced, Prime Cut Wedge, Crispy Coated Shoestring, Golden Hash Brown Patties, Shoestring, Crinkle Cut, Golden Crowns, and Straight Cut.  These are excellent frying potatoes.  The company is located at 25 Burlington Mall, Burlington, MA, 01803.  The phone number is 781 273 2777.

There is nothing that TUV TAAM makes that we don’t like, and that is a serious problem as they make so many really fine foods.  They call themselves “the King of Kosher Appetizers,” but we just call them the be-all and end-all of food purveyors.  You know they make some of the very best blintzes, but did you know they have some new flavors, like apricot?  Did you know they make some really super soups, like vegetable, split pea, cabbage, lentil, mushroom barley, potato, tomato rice, and chicken flavored?  They also now make pasta dishes, and they are really tasty.  We tried the Peking Pasta, the Fettuccini Alfredo, and the Pasta Primavera, just to name a few, and we liked them all.  As we said above, there is nothing they make that we don’t like.  Well, maybe the mock liver blinztes.  Not that we don’t like them, it’s more a matter of  “why?”  They are located at 502 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11205.  The phone number is 718 855 2207.  All Tuv Taam products carry CRC and O-K certification. 

            SAUCES……

            PAESANA  has a some new sauces that are heavenly.  The Vodka sauce is all the current rage, and the Pomodoro Marsala sauce is to die for.  All Paesana sauces are Kof-K certified.  Paesana is located at 101 Central Ave, East Farmingdale, NY, 11735.  The phone number is 1 800 286 6487.

            Finally, we have gotten a number of letters from people raving about BONE SUCKIN’ SAUCE.  Yes, it is versatile.  Yes, it is delish.  And, yes, you can order it over the web.  See the last KN for info.  This is the best, bar none.  As loyal KN readers all over the country have discovered, this is the one to keep in stock.        

            CANDY IS DANDY…..        

GIMBAL BROTHERS CANDY CO. makes a whole lot of really chewy candy.  For starters, how about Spearmint Leaves, Jelly Beans, Black and White Licorice Mix, Fruit Slices, Super Sour Worms, Spice Drops, Tropical Fruit Chews, and Chocolate Fudge Wafers?  And that is but the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  They make a ton of different candies.  All of them delish! Everything is O-U and Pareve.  The company is located at 250 Hillside Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080.  The phone number is 1 800 344 6225.  I found the jelly beans to be a pale imitation of you know what, but all the rest of the candy was really super.  This is a definite winner. 

            SEATTLE CHOCOLATES makes some really exquisite and upscale chocolate products.  They are certified by the Kaf-K, and everything we saw was Dairy.  They combine dark chocolate with milk chocolate to yield a most tasty product.  Some of their products include:  Truffles, (our faves were Mint and Dark Chocolate Raspberry), Chocolate Bars (we loved the Dark Chocolate Black Forest), Cabernet and Chardonnay (wine flavored chocolates), and, finally, Chocolate Dessert Shells.  These are not cheap, buy-em-at-the-drugstore chocolates- these are gourmet chocolates.  You can reach the company at 1 800 334 3600.  They are located on the Web at www.seattlechocolate.com . 

            And that pretty much wraps up this issue of the Nexus.  See you real soon!  In the meantime, wash your hands, make a bracha, and start eating!