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Jeffrey Rosenberg with his late mother, Sarah
Rosenberg, and comedian Alan King
What kind of caterer was your dad?
My father was a master kosher caterer.
He cooked because he loved food and he
loved recipes. He collected antique kosher
and non-kosher cookbooks, which my
brother [Dr. Howard Rosenberg] and I
now have. My dad could do a taste test
with his eyes closed — like the old Coke
and Pepsi test. He made eating fun, some-
times having waitstaff dress to the hilt in
turbans and capes to make guests feel like
they were on a cruise ship.
Where else did the family cater?
When the Jewish Community Center
opened in West Bloomfield in 1975, we
were the first ones to serve food. For about
a year, we served meals like brisket and
roast chicken with fresh bakery items in
the cafeteria, and we offered a health-
conscious menu in the health club.
What was your relationship with party
hosts and others in the food industry?
Rabbi Joseph Krupnik [kashrut direc-
tor at the Vaad] was one of my father's
best friends, and I continued a relation-
ship with him. In the last five years,
Phil Tewel [of Jewel Kosher Caterers in
Oak Park] was very kind to me. He did
Grandma Cecil Rosenberg with Uncle Bob Rosenberg at
Holiday Manor cooking for the holidays in the 1950s
some parties at our place, bringing the
Orthodox work to my location, and we
worked for him.
Many organizations have held their din-
ners at Adat Shalom, like Yad Ezra, Hillel
Day School and the Jewish Theological
Seminary (JTS). Eva Mames and her late
husband, Dr. John J. Mames, brought the
American Friends of Magen David Adorn
Michigan Region dinner to us for 43 years
straight.
[Editor's note: Eva Mames passed away on
Dec. 10, after this interview was conducted.
See page 82 for more information.]
My waitstaff was treated the best, always
offered a cold drink while they worked
and dinner at the end of the night.
I always had a smiley face and was
involved with the guests and the hosts. I
carried out gifts at the end of bridal show-
ers and made scrambled eggs or corned
beef sandwiches for brides and grooms
after many weddings.
How did the trend from more tradition-
al foods to gourmet-type party menus
affect you?
I was traditional when somebody want-
ed me to be, but I explored other types of
dishes when it was fitting. I hired pastry
What Else Is New?
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Contributing Writer
H
ere are some recent catering
changes at other local syna-
gogues:
Congregation Beth Ahm
Dish Kosher Cuisine, based inside
Congregation Beth Ahm in West
Bloomfield, is owned and run by on-site
caterer Paul Wertz.
"Paul has been catering here for a couple
years but reinvented the business as Dish
Kosher Cuisine this past January,' said David
Goodman, Beth Ahm's executive director.
"I see every event that he does at the
synagogue; and hosts are very happy with
the high quality of his service and presen-
tation. He is easy to work with and pro-
vides a great menu and a great product."
Wertz also offers a carryout menu and
provides kosher meat and parve catering off
site, accompanied by a kosher supervisor.
"He provides both traditional and
creative presentation in his events:'
Goodman said. "He can match the menu
and decorations to the theme of a party."
Wertz also owns the non-kosher
Platinum Dish Catering in West
Bloomfield, providing service through-
out the community, including at Temple
Kol Ami in West Bloomfield and
Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy.
Dish Kosher Cuisine is glatt kosher and
certified by the Vaad. (248) 539-8825;
pjwertz@socialeventsonline.com;
dkc@cbahm.org .
Congregation B'nai Moshe
After 81/2 years as the synagogue's caterer,
Elite Kosher Catering will no longer be
based at Congregation B'nai Moshe in
West Bloomfield beginning at the end of
January.
Owner Mimi Markofsky will move the
Rabbi Joseph Krupnik and Jeffrey Rosenberg in New
York City
chefs to come in for parties. All of our pas-
tries were always fresh, never store-bought.
For three years, starting in around 2006,
I planned theme nights, a night out for the
community to come to dinner, something
other caterers then followed. The first one
I did was a Chinese buffet that brought in
620 people. Then I did an Italian buffet
and hired a violin player to walk around
and serenade the guests.
Did you ever meet anybody famous
while at work?
I met, and have pictures of myself, with
so many celebrities from events we catered,
like Ted Kennedy, Henry Winkler, Alan
King, Suzanne Somers and Dr. Ruth. JTS
held its Top Rabbinic Chef Competition at
Adat Shalom, with local rabbis cooking,
and we had a special dessert demonstra-
tion and tasting with Keegan Gerhard from
the Food Network Challenge series. When
Barry Manilow was at the B'nai B'rith
Humanitarian Awards dinner downtown,
he let me introduce him!
What about your business partner, Al
Kovalenko?
The best thing I did during a financial
crunch time almost four years ago was
business to another West Bloomfield loca-
tion and will remain supervised by the
Vaad, with a full-time kashrut supervisor
on site. She will continue to offer a glatt
kosher, meat and parve menu along with
many gluten-free options.
Outside caterers will provide services
at B'nai Moshe. The synagogue's meat
kitchen may be used by any meat caterer
certified by the Vaad as well as the Star-K
certified Quality Kosher Catering based
inside Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield. Dairy catering is provided by
the synagogue's sisterhood.
B'nai Moshe: (248) 788-0600;
bnaimoshe.org .
Elite Kosher Catering: (248) 592-0200,
elitekosheringcatering@gmail. corn,
Elitekoshercatering. corn.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Since the March 2010 death of Quality
Kosher Catering owner Paul Kohn, the
Star K-supervised business has been run
by Kohn's son, Daniel, with Kohn's wife,
Leah, assuming hands-on ownership.
to partner up with Al, who was already
a chef for us. He is a workhorse with so
much integrity. Now he's working for Chef
Cari Kosher Catering at Farm Fresh in Oak
Park — making lathes with my grand-
mother's recipe.
What happened to your equipment
when Matt Prentice took over the Adat
Shalom kitchen?
I auctioned a lot of it off, and Matt
bought some of it. He bought some of my
pots, so I know Jeffrey still lives on a little
at Adat Shalom.
What's next?
I'm 57, and I trained on the job that I
thought I would be at forever. But I have a
few options on my plate, including host-
ing at a local restaurant or being beverage
director at a hotel in South Beach, Fla. I
may work in food service in the Pocono
Mountains or at a water park in Dundee,
Mich.
I will miss Adat Shalom a lot and am
very grateful to the loyal members there.
I'm sorry to be leaving. The last chapter of
my life was pretty darn good, but whatever
I do next, I look forward to turning the
page to the next one. 1 I
Based inside Congregation Shaarey
Zedek in Southfield, the 33-year-old
Quality Kosher continues to plan func-
tions from black-tie events and strolling
suppers to boardroom luncheons and
kids' parties. They cater at the synagogue
— with a capacity to serve 1,600 guests
— and at other venues, bringing their
own kosher equipment when necessary.
The longtime Passover, Rosh Hashanah
and Thanksgiving carryout business con-
tinues.
"Our regular carryout is growing, too,
with our biggest increase being our plated
carryout',' said Sandy Singal, sales and
office manager and event coordinator.
"And Daniel is making a lot of updates.
We are out there more than ever, with a
Facebook page and different advertising
and email promotions:' he said. "Daniel
worked for the Ritz-Carleton for a couple
of years and is bringing that flair to his
work. The clients love working with him."
Quality Kosher Catering: (248) 352-
7758, info@qualitykosher.com ,
www. qualitykosher. corn. II
December 15 2011
31