With hotels willing to go to greaterthan- ever lengths to meet client expectations, and going after untapped revenue streams being just as fervent a cause, kosher events present both opportunity and great challenges to F&B teams. According to figures compiled by Lubicom Marketing & Consulting for Kosherfest, the world’s largest kosher-certified products trade event, serving the retail and foodservice industries, the overall dollar value of the kosher market is $12.5 billion, with an annual growth rate of 15 percent—an ocean of revenue from which hotels certainly can fill a pail.

Whether investing in a dedicated kosher kitchen or utilizing a trusted caterer to establish a hotel as a known kosher go-to, it’s a cuisine that bears consideration—and care.

To underscore the importance of strict adherence to kosher law, some F&B pros we contacted at hotel properties—those with full-on kosher kitchens and those using caterers alike—declined to comment, out of an abundance of caution against offending kosher clients. One executive chef says, “We only do ‘kosher-style’ events where the food is as kosher as we can make it—no pork, wine, gelatin, etc. As this [article] holds the appearance of highlighting the fact that we may not be able to do full kosher due to the lack of a dedicated kosher kitchen, I would rather not bring the attention to us in that fashion. We highly value our Jewish clientele, and I would anticipate negative misperceptions throughout that community.”

KOSHER KITCHENS
In producing kosher events, attention to detail takes on a deeper meaning than it normally would to even the most controlling executive chef. And that’s to say nothing of the financial investment. If a hotel produces the food itself, not only is a dedicated kosher kitchen required, but subsections of that kitchen must remain separated, and equipment may not be used from one subsection to another.

Currently working as executive chef at the palace of the sheik in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Andrea Lewinsky recently spent three years with Dan Eilat Hotels properties in Israel. “Besides having a list of forbidden foods—all of them backed by the Jewish faith—the preparation process is quite rigorous,” she says. “Vegetables, for example, must be examined under powerful lights for the chef to make sure that no dirt is in place even after intensive washing. The flesh of allowed animals or birds, such as cow, goat, sheep, chicken, and turkey, and milk and derivatives, such as butter and cheese, cannot be mixed.”

Staff—all Jewish in the kosher kitchens where Lewinsky has worked—must not only get approval from the executive chef for the finished product, the cuisine has to pass muster with a rabbi, also on staff at the hotels where she’s worked. “Otherwise, it is discarded,” Lewinsky says.

Stateside, the Hilton Minneapolis repurposed a former restaurant kitchen for glatt kosher events, and the standards are no less stringent; kosher law is kosher law. Executive Chef Julian Grainger doesn’t have a staff rabbi, instead calling on a rabbi and his wife, who work as team. Grainger will give the pair dates for functions, and one of the two will come in beforehand. The rabbi will “finish” the function on the night of the event, but his wife is available for prep days, and the client pays them by the hour for their services. “They oversee everything, making sure the products and equipment we use are kosher,” Grainger says.

Of course, that’s just one line item in the cost of doing dedicated kosher.

“The investment is high because you have to assemble kitchens directed to each type of production and may not use any equipment or other objects of the kitchen [in another,]” Lewinsky explains. “You need pots, cutlery, crockery, and even separate sinks to handle each one. The kosher kitchen is divided into the kitchen of milk, the kitchen of cooking meat, the cold kitchen for salads, baking, and confectionery—without the use of milk—and confectionery with the use of milk.”

CATERED KOSHER
Len Elias, executive chef at Dolce Atlanta- Peachtree, is careful to be clear about what his hotel offers. “I do not do glatt kosher. I only do ‘kosher style’ ... I don’t want to mislead anyone,” says Elias, who uses an outside caterer for kosher events and is vigilant in delivering reverent kosher. “Do your research and know the basic requirements of kosher law before making contact with a caterer,” he advises. “Don’t assume anything; kosher law adherence is very specific and should fall on the shoulders of the caterer.

“The most important thing to ask is if they are certified by the local kosher certification organization,” Elias says. “In Atlanta, it is the Atlanta Kashruth Commission [which] supervises all kosher eating establishments in Atlanta. Secondly, the caterer must supply every component of the meal; you cannot use any of your [own] equipment or utensils. Nothing can be held in your ovens, washed in your sinks, etc. The caterer must be a selfcontained entity ... In my experience, if it is glatt kosher—the term is often used informally to imply that a product was processed under a stricter standard of kashrut or kosher law—you don’t do much but get out of the way and possibly supply servers.”

Despite the inherent limitations of kosher cuisine, Elias sees room for creativity.

“Kosher food has come a long way,” he observes. “Like all ethnic cuisines, kosher food has become more contemporary, offering almost any dish you or your clients would consider serving. Don’t treat it any differently than you would any other menu; just have respect for tradition and kosher law.”

MINDFUL BUT MEMORABLE MENUS
Opportunity for success lies first in conforming to kosher’s limitations and then, in the case of the Hilton Minneapolis, looking for ways to tweak it while staying within kosher law. So far, so good. In under two years of operating the kosher kitchen, Grainger estimates kosher events have increased total ethnic events, which include halal events, by 15 percent. “The word of mouth is getting out.”

Upon retooling his kitchen for kosher, Grainger and staff held an opening reception showing different foods they can do. “I know what kosher food tends to look like,” he says. “It can be ‘blah,’ or everything can be chicken. We kicked it up a notch and enhanced what we do.

“We create menus to order with the kosher guest,” he explains. “The first questions I ask are, ‘What have you had in the past?’ and ‘What other places have you been?’ ... We pick classics and try to format them [differently]. For instance, bouillabaisse is a seafood dish. Obviously in the kosher world, you cannot have shellfish, but we put a twist on it and did it with pheasant. Instead of fish stock, we used pheasant stock, and it was a beautiful, rich pheasant bouillabaisse. People were intrigued by what it was. We could do it with chicken as well.”

Other classics menued for events include steak Diane and steak au poivre—“dishes people don’t see much anymore,” says Grainger.

Most kosher events at the Hilton Minneapolis are receptions, not plated dinners, so Grainger leans toward small plates. Desserts are popular and include non-dairy crème brûlée, fresh fruit tarts with non-dairy lemon curd and kosher pie shells, tiramisu, and cannoli.

“For salads, they tend to stick to what they know, like a strawberry and spinach salad or a green salad,” says Grainger. “We make ratatouille salads, which have roasted ratatouille vegetables. It’s just something small so they can try more items at the reception.”

Grainger, who will be readying for an event of 1,000 people in December—500 for dinner and 500 joining afterward for a dessert reception—is happy with the choice to go for kosher. “It’s a good business, and it’s nice to have.”

Tad Wilkes is managing editor of HOTEL F&B.

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