Bring home the kosher bacon
Finer foods are also getting a kosher makeover. Abarbanel Wines announced at the expo that its products-- including a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon and a Brut Cremant D'Alsace--had won 23 medals at wine competitions this year. Brigitte Mizrahi's company, Anderson International Foods, distributes chevre, brie, and feta. Mark Rosen, who founded the Sugar River Cheese Co. last year, has introduced specialty cheeses like white cheddar with chipotle and monterey jack with tomato and olive.
Supermarkets are doing their part by providing an increasingly wide selection of kosher products. "The future of our business is in crossover," says Yakov Yarmove, corporate kosher category manager for Albertsons supermarkets, the second-largest chain in the country. Albertsons has dedicated kosher sections in each of its groceries, even in places like Boise, Idaho, where the religious Jewish base is tiny. Yarmove creates areas that can appeal to all consumers by stocking items like tempting marinades and low-carb tea biscuits.
Given the offerings displayed at Kosherfest, his job is a piece of kosher cake. Choices ranged from bottled sauces from the Anchor Bar (home of Buffalo wings) to Upscale Foods' enchiladas. If there's a single product that shows how far into the mainstream kosher has gone, it's one of Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends. The eye-catching label reads: "pork and veal seasoning." Spokesman John McBride says, "We think we're the only pork seasoning that's kosher, but of course you can put it on anything." Even kosher vegetarian bacon.
Hello, Deli!
Can't get enough kosher at your local supermarket? First, try looking a little harder--even Wal-Mart has kosher sections at 600 of its locations. Natural-food stores, either local shops or chains like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market, often have wider selections. Or check online. Kosher.com has a grocery that rivals any local market. If you want to go highbrow, skim the selection at zabars.com. Online grocers Peapod (peapod.com) and FreshDirect (freshdirect .com) have recently revved up their kosher offerings--and will hand deliver them to your door. Some manufacturers will allow you to buy direct, but you may have to go bulk. To satisfy a hankering for a kosher burrito on the Upscale Foods site (oldcitycafe.us), the smallest purchase is a case of 24 ($42). -Vicky Hallett
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