Fresh Foods In Focus:<br />Pomegranate Struts Kosher Prowess at Signature Event
The 2010 Kosher Restaurant & Wine Experience, held Feb. 1 amid the elegant surroundings of Pier 60 in New York’s Chelsea district, featured some savvy supermarket know-how vis-à-vis gourmet kosher grocery store Pomegranate, which since its 2008 opening in Brooklyn has drawn much praise and press (including a Store of the Month write-up in the August 2009 issue of Progressive Grocer).
The grocer’s catering prowess was on impressive display with a mouthwatering array of delicatessen goodies: savory hand-carved meats including hot pastrami and hiemishe (“homestyle”) brisket, along with such delectable noshes as grilled eggplant, chummus, black olive tapenade, parve blue cheese dressing and jalapeño pepper dip, all urged on attendees by friendly and enthusiastic staffers, one of whom summed up in concise fashion why Pomegranate is so committed to feeding people: “It’s in the genes.” The company additionally collected visitors’ e-mails to send them $10 Pomegranate gift cards, as a way to encourage future shopping trips.
Just as important as its delicious offerings, however, is the grocer’s solid kosher credentials: Its identifying sign also noted that its food is prepared under the supervision of Rabbi Babad of Tartikov. All on-site food preparation for the Experience was under the kosher supervision of KAJ.
Coordinated by AF Productions, the fourth annual event additionally offered a broad assortment of over 200 upscale wines, spirits and liqueurs from around the globe, including particularly prominent showings by France and Israel. Among the cuisines served up by 20 top-flight food purveyors (a new feature this year) were Argentinean, French, Italian and Japanese, with food samples as plentiful as liquid tasting opportunities. On entering, attendees received a complimentary imprinted wineglass, as well as a book in which to jot down their impressions of their various quaffs.
The seminars at the 2010 Kosher Restaurant & Wine Experience were held by Jay Buchsbaum, director of wine education at Bayonne, N.J.-based Royal Wine Corp., the world’s largest producer, importer and distributor of kosher wines and spirits, and French executive winemaker Pierre Miodownick.
The grocer’s catering prowess was on impressive display with a mouthwatering array of delicatessen goodies: savory hand-carved meats including hot pastrami and hiemishe (“homestyle”) brisket, along with such delectable noshes as grilled eggplant, chummus, black olive tapenade, parve blue cheese dressing and jalapeño pepper dip, all urged on attendees by friendly and enthusiastic staffers, one of whom summed up in concise fashion why Pomegranate is so committed to feeding people: “It’s in the genes.” The company additionally collected visitors’ e-mails to send them $10 Pomegranate gift cards, as a way to encourage future shopping trips.
Just as important as its delicious offerings, however, is the grocer’s solid kosher credentials: Its identifying sign also noted that its food is prepared under the supervision of Rabbi Babad of Tartikov. All on-site food preparation for the Experience was under the kosher supervision of KAJ.
Coordinated by AF Productions, the fourth annual event additionally offered a broad assortment of over 200 upscale wines, spirits and liqueurs from around the globe, including particularly prominent showings by France and Israel. Among the cuisines served up by 20 top-flight food purveyors (a new feature this year) were Argentinean, French, Italian and Japanese, with food samples as plentiful as liquid tasting opportunities. On entering, attendees received a complimentary imprinted wineglass, as well as a book in which to jot down their impressions of their various quaffs.
The seminars at the 2010 Kosher Restaurant & Wine Experience were held by Jay Buchsbaum, director of wine education at Bayonne, N.J.-based Royal Wine Corp., the world’s largest producer, importer and distributor of kosher wines and spirits, and French executive winemaker Pierre Miodownick.