Kosher Cooking

is foreign territory to me. When a kosher request came in at Nobu, we'd look at each other, shrug, and produce steamed salmon with steamed vegetables.

On Feb 11, 2009, Shaya Klechevsky, asked me to join him in teaching a kosher cooking class at a Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Five Towns, Long Island. I jumped at the chance to learn about kosher food and work with my favorite kosher chef.


Shaya and I were partners in crime at the FCI. Whenever we worked together we were perfectly in sync and always laughing. Today, Shaya owns a small kosher catering company called At Your Palate. He does an excellent job of kosher-fying various types of ethic cuisines with a special focus on Middle Eastern.


Our day started with a long drive to Cedarhurst, NY. Coming from the busy city, we were surprised to see the JCC - a quaint blue house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. We prepped and taught two cooking classes - an afternoon and an evening class, each with 8-10 people in attendance.

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On the menu:

Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad with Oranges and Arugula - Peppery arugula, roasted beets and citrus flavors make this warm salad. A walnut crunch and balsamic vinaigrette finishes.


Chestnut and Celery Root Soup with Andouille Sausage - Hearty chestnuts and the underused celery root is softened in water and non-diary creamer and blended. Served with toast points and sauteed kosher sausage.


Mustard Crusted Chicken with Sauce Diable - A classic French chicken preparation and sauce from our FCI days, this dish has a tangy mustard crust and spicy black peppercorn sauce. Served with roasted tomatoes and mushroom caps.


Basbousah Middle Eastern Coconut "Blondie" - A Farina-based dessert with hints of rose water, cardamom and finished with almonds. Farina is usually a breakfast offering and is similar to Cream of Wheat or grits.


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Before the classes, Shaya gave me a crash course in kosher cooking and I must admit, there's A LOT to it. What surprised me the most is that although it is well known that meat may not be eaten with dairy, it is less known that utensils that have come in contact with meat may not be be used with diary and visa-versa. This translates to two sets of knives, pots, pans, spoons, plates, etc. And in the case of this particular JCC, it translated to a meat-only kitchen, where the cooking and holding of dairy products were not allowed. Other rules include the restriction of certain animals, rules on the slaughtering and preparation of meats, and use of kosher certified products.

We had a break between classes and decided to kill time by exploring the town. We took a walk down their Main Street, had a small kosher lunch (my first!) and toured a kosher grocery. Shaya shared with me his wealth of knowledge on kosher products and the ways he substitutes ingredients to kosher-fy recipes. For instance, non-dairy creamer is used in the "Blondie" dessert instead of milk and a non-diary butter substitute (his favorite is called Earth Balance) is used to thicken the Sauce Diable.

The town's kosher grocery is called Gourmet Glatt Emporium. "Glatt" literally translates to "smooth" and means the products are processed under stricter standards. Shaya guided me through the store, showing me many of the products he uses in his cooking and shared with me some of this favorite desserts imported from Israel - chocolate pudding, a chocolate candy similar to Cadbury's Flake, and a chocolate covered cream ball, which turned out to be marshmallow fluff (not what was expected).

Wanna see? (NSFW due to some very funny but profane language)

New York City has a large Jewish community and knowledge in kosher food and cooking is a great asset to any chef. Shaya has given me a great first experience and I look forward to working with him again in the near future. Thanks Shaya!